While most of the world focuses on nuclear weapons, it appears that North Korea found another way to challenge it

May 26, 2021 08:25 GMT  ·  By

According to specialists, nuclear-armed North Korea is progressing on the front lines of cyberwarfare, stealing billions of dollars, and representing a clearer and more immediate threat than its banned weapons programs, as South China Morning Post states.  

Pyongyang is subject to a slew of international sanctions for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, both of which have made remarkable development under Kim Jong-un.

While the world's diplomatic attention has been focused on the North's nuclear goals, analysts warn its army of thousands of well-trained hackers is proving just as hazardous.

Oh Il-seok, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul stated that “North Korea’s nuclear and military programmes are long-term threats, but its cyber threats are immediate, realistic threats”.

Pyongyang's cyberwarfare capabilities first came to public light in 2014, when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment's website in retaliation for the satirical film "The Interview," which mocked leader Kim.  Several unreleased films and a substantial number of secret papers were posted online because of the hack.

Since then, the country has been blamed for several high-profile cyberattacks, including an $81 million heist from Bangladesh Central Bank and the 2017 global ransomware campaign WannaCry, which infected 300,000 systems across 150 countries.

North Korea denies any involvement in U.S. cyberattacks

Pyongyang has denied any involvement, calling the United States' charges concerning WannaCry absurd, and a foreign ministry official stated, "We have nothing to do with cyberattacks".

However, the US Justice Department charged three North Koreans in February for "engaging in a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy to carry out a series of destructive cyberattacks".

In February, the US indictment accused the three North Koreans of stealing more than $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrencies from financial institutions and businesses.

Deputy Attorney General John Demers described the North Korean personnel as the world's leading bank robbers, adding that they use keyboards instead of guns and take digital wallets of cryptocurrencies instead of sacks of cash.

The emergence of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin has provided hackers all around the world with a plethora of new and increasingly profitable targets. Furthermore, Jarkoff stated that their decentralized networks are a distinct advantage for North Korea, providing a means to avoid financial sanctions.