North Korean hackers are even capable of killing
North Korean hackers are capable of attacks that could destroy critical infrastructure, even killing people, defector professor Kim Heung-Kwang told BBC Click. He also said the country has 6,000 trained hackers and stressed that international organizations must intervene to prevent such attacks.
The warning comes after the hack , which was attributed to North Korea, with Korean technology expert Martyn Williams saying the threat is still at a theoretical level.
Professor Kim taught computer science at Hamheung University of Computer Technology for 20 years before leaving the country in 2004. Although he did not teach hacking techniques, he claims that his former students now work for North Korea's notorious hacking department. These students have formed the notorious hacking group "Office 121", which is believed to be based in China and responsible for a series of attacks, many of which targeted South Korean infrastructure. "Office 121" is believed to have been operating since the late 1990s
According to the professor, 10%-20% of the country's military budget is spent on cyber operations.
“Cyberattacks could have effects similar to those of military attacks, killing people and destroying cities.” “The reason North Korea was bothering other countries was to show that it had the ability to conduct cyberwarfare,” he explained.
According to the professor, North Korea is building its own malware, based on Stuxnet– the cyberweapon used against the Iranian nuclear program before it was discovered in 2010.
"An attack like this, designed to destroy a city, has been created by North Korea and is a threat that could be realized," he added, stressing that the international community must take measures to address such an eventuality.
