Security firms on high alert as N. Korea ups its cyberattacks
N. Korea has increased cyberattacks against South Korea in the first half of this year. / gettyimagesbank
By Kim Hyun-bin
The government and companies of South Korea have suffered from endless cyberattacks by North Korea in the first half of the year, which has put internet security firms on their toes to prevent the theft of crucial data.
Digital dependence has risen in recent years with the enhancement of fifth-generation networks (5G), the Internet of Things (loT) and AI technology, hyper-connecting the country and making it vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Currently, many key facilities including power generators and sewage plants are operated through industry control systems (ICS), which have been hit by endless cyberattacks.
North Korea is the greatest cyber threat to the country and has increased its efforts to infiltrate key industries especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when companies and government bodies have seemed less attentive to cybersecurity risks.
Pyongyang funds organized cyberwarfare groups to continue advanced persistent threats (APT) against key South Korean facilities.
An APT is typically a nation state or state-sponsored group, which gains unauthorized access to a computer network and conducts large-scale targeted intrusions for specific goals.
“The first half of this year the public was worried about COVID-19 and many were allowed to work from home, and cyberattackers used that to their advantage,” a security firm official said. “People should block suspicious emails and text messages and manage their accounts to minimize damage.”
According to SK Infosec, there were 3.1 million cyberattacks from January to May this year, a 19 percent jump from 2.6 million in the same period last year.
The company said cyberattacks surged between February and April when COVID-19 was at its height in the country. Excluding simple hacking attempts such as DDos and smishing attacks 445,000 were highly dangerous and well-orchestrated, the company said.
There have been new types of malicious code using pandemic-related content to compromise computer networks ― malicious emails and text messages titled “receive your disaster relief money,” “COVID-19,” “WHO” and “Masks” have been widely utilized as clickbait.
To date, there have been over 90,000 cyberattack attempts using COVID-19-related messages.
Internet security firms have been operating an emergency contingency system to counter the increasing number of threats.
Key government entities including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Communications Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service have strengthened their information sharing systems as well as cybersecurity.
AhnLab, SK Infosec, IGLOO Security and other security firms have been maintaining around-the-clock security for companies and preparing for possible counteraction in the case of system infiltrations.
“It is difficult to say the two Koreas' relations are directly correlated to changes in the cybersecurity threat,” a cybersecurity firm official said. “However, there has been an increase in cyber threats this year, so we have been focused on strengthening our systems and countermeasures.”
Industry watchers point out that during the PyeongChang Olympics, when relations were relatively good between the two Koreas, there was actually a significant increase in cyberattacks.