North Korea’s cyberattacks against US and its allies fails to make Singapore summit talking points 3 years after crippling Sony attack WASHINGTON (AP) —…
North Korea’s cyberattacks against US and its allies fails to make Singapore summit talking points 3 years after crippling Sony attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — Among the subjects President Donald Trump apparently didn’t discuss with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore — the regime’s human rights abuses, its exports of missile technology and its mistreatment of U. S. prisoners — there’s one more: its long record of dangerous cyberattacks against sensitive targets in the U. S. and allied nations.
Experts warn that the country’s hacking skills have become increasingly sophisticated and dangerous in recent years. North Korean exploits have included the damaging 2017 WannaCry ransomware attacks, intrusions into banks in more than a dozen countries to heist millions of dollars over the last few years, and continually brazen cyberattacks on South Korean computer networks.
The historic Singapore meeting focused on “denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula, although it didn’t yield a detailed agreement for accomplishing that goal.
In the run-up to the June 12 meeting, the Department of Homeland Security warned of an ongoing threat by North Korean government hackers, who have attacked critical infrastructure and media, aerospace and financial companies since at least 2009, infecting networks in at least 17 countries and the United States. Days after the summit, DHS sent a fresh notice describing malware variants used by North Korea.
But there is no indication that the two leaders discussed cybersecurity, worrying experts who warn that North Korea’s cyberwarfare capabilities pose an immediate threat to U. S. interests that warrants high-level attention.
Few know the impact of a North Korean cyberattack like former Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton. More than three years ago, the American movie studio owned of Sony suffered a crippling hack prior to its release of “The Interview,” a film centered on a screwball satire of Kim.
