"Nobody's Holding Them Back" - North Korean Cyberattack Threat Grows
"Even though the craftsmanship isn't perfect right now...it's still a new market for North Korea", says former CIA analyst Soo Kim.< /p>
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North Korea-backed cyberattacks against crypto and tech firms will only become more sophisticated over time as the country faces prolonged economic sanctions and resource shortages.
Former CIA analyst Soo Kim told CNN on July 10 that the process of generating foreign crypto revenue for the regime has now become a "way of life" for North Koreans .
"In light of the challenges facing the regime - food shortages, fewer countries willing to engage with North Korea [...] this is just going to be something they will continue to use because no one is holding them back, basically."
She also added that it's likely their crypto attack "craftsmanship" will only get better from now on.
"Even though the craftsmanship isn't perfect right now, in terms of ways to approach foreigners and address their vulnerabilities, it's still a new market for North Korea," said Kim.
The RAND Corporation political analyst made the comments nearly two months after the release of a joint U.S. government advisory on the infiltration of North Korean agents into freelance tech jobs, which which poses risks of theft of intellectual property, data and funds that could be used to violate sanctions.
Former FBI intelligence analyst Nick Carlsen told CNN that DPRK agents embedded in these companies would not only earn revenue used to evade sanctions, but they could also identify vulnerabilities in certain systems clients that their fellow hackers could take advantage of.
"Any vulnerability they could identify in a customer's systems would be at serious risk," Carlsen explained.
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"Even though the craftsmanship isn't perfect right now...it's still a new market for North Korea", says former CIA analyst Soo Kim.< /p>
New
North Korea-backed cyberattacks against crypto and tech firms will only become more sophisticated over time as the country faces prolonged economic sanctions and resource shortages.
Former CIA analyst Soo Kim told CNN on July 10 that the process of generating foreign crypto revenue for the regime has now become a "way of life" for North Koreans .
"In light of the challenges facing the regime - food shortages, fewer countries willing to engage with North Korea [...] this is just going to be something they will continue to use because no one is holding them back, basically."
She also added that it's likely their crypto attack "craftsmanship" will only get better from now on.
"Even though the craftsmanship isn't perfect right now, in terms of ways to approach foreigners and address their vulnerabilities, it's still a new market for North Korea," said Kim.
The RAND Corporation political analyst made the comments nearly two months after the release of a joint U.S. government advisory on the infiltration of North Korean agents into freelance tech jobs, which which poses risks of theft of intellectual property, data and funds that could be used to violate sanctions.
Former FBI intelligence analyst Nick Carlsen told CNN that DPRK agents embedded in these companies would not only earn revenue used to evade sanctions, but they could also identify vulnerabilities in certain systems clients that their fellow hackers could take advantage of.
"Any vulnerability they could identify in a customer's systems would be at serious risk," Carlsen explained.
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