The Justice Department also alleged that the trio participated in the creation of the destructive WannaCry 2.0 ransomware – which hit Britain’s National Health Service hard when it was set loose in 2017.
The United States has charged three North Korean computer programmers with a massive hacking spree aimed at stealing more than $1.3 billion in money and cryptocurrency, affecting companies from banks to Hollywood movie studios, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday. The indictment alleges that Jon Chang Hyok,31, Kim Il,27, and Park Jin Hyok,36, stole money while working for North Korea’s military intelligence services. Park had previously been charged in a complaint unsealed in 2018. The Justice Department said the hackers were responsible for a wide range of criminal activity and high-profile intrusions, including a retaliatory 2014 attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment for producing “The Interview” movie, which depicted the assassination of North Korea’s leader. The group is alleged to have targeted staff of AMC Theatres and broken into computers belonging to Mammoth Screen, a U.K. film company that was working on a drama series about North Korea. The Justice Department also alleged that the trio participated in the creation of the destructive WannaCry 2.
