14 DAY TRIAL // Last week South Korea accused North Korea of a military hack that eventually led to thousands of computers getting infected with malware that helped steal confidential information, but in an article posted by a state-controlled website, Pyongyang claims this is all just “nonsense.”
North Korean website Uriminzokkiri described the accusations as a “childish plot” to distract the attention from South Korean leader Park Geun-hye, who was impeached last week after a parliament vote.
Furthermore, the article explains that it makes no sense for them to launch an attack against their rivals and use IPs based in North Korea, thus leaving traces that could help the South identify the attackers.
“If we are behind the hacking, why would we use the IP address that the South takes issue with?” the article stated. “It is not difficult to see that the North hacking theory, which the puppet party makes [with] a loud voice, is a lie,” it continued, going on to state that the president has a “filthy identity.”
Investigation still under way
In statements released last week, South Korea’s Defense Ministry explained that there were signs connecting North Korea with a breach compromising the country’s military systems and stealing confidential data that was supposed to be accessible only from the intranet.
“We cannot give out details on what information was leaked, because it might give (North Korea) an advantage in the ongoing cyber warfare,” he said, explaining that an investigation that should help determine the source of the attack and the identity of the hackers was under way.
South Korea said the attack took place in August this year and the attackers used malicious software that provided them with access to military documents. Seoul authorities, however, refused to provide any specifics on the documents that the alleged North Korean hackers managed to reach, but they clearly stated that no information regarding the military collaboration with other states was included.