North Korea reportedly hacks South Korean chip equipment makers
What's the story
North Korean hackers have reportedly breached South Korean chip equipment manufacturers, as stated by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The NIS suspects that North Korea aims to create semiconductors for its weapons programs, including satellites and missiles.
This news emerges just a month after President Yoon Suk Yeol cautioned that North Korea might use cyberattacks to meddle with upcoming elections.
Goods
Stolen product designs and facility photos
The NIS disclosed that North Korean hackers infiltrated the servers of two chip equipment firms in December and February, swiping product designs and facility photos.
However, the agency didn't reveal the names of the impacted firms or imply that North Korea gained anything valuable.
The NIS has encouraged other chip-making industry companies to safeguard against cyberattacks.
Steps
Techniques used by North Korean hackers
Since late last year, North Korean hackers have been targeting South Korean businesses using a technique called "living off the land."
This approach minimizes malicious codes and leverages existing, legitimate tools within servers, making it challenging for security software to detect.
While Pyongyang consistently denies any involvement in cybercrimes, Seoul accuses North Korean hackers of stealing large amounts of money, often in the form of cryptocurrency, to support the regime and its nuclear weapons program.
History
South Korean presidential aide's emails hacked
In November 2022, North Korea hacked the personal emails of an aide to President Yeol.
The staff member was hacked, following the usage of a personal email account for official work, the President's office confirmed.
To note, even messages that were sent by the President to the staffer had been stolen.