Gov't on high alert over reactor hacking

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick, center, explains the government’s counter-cyber terrorism measures during a meeting with residents living in the neighborhood of the Gori Nuclear Power Plant in Gijang County, Busan, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Park Si-soo, Yi Whan-woo

The government and nuclear plant operators have raised their anti-hacking alert to the highest level as a hacker, possibly linked with North Korea, is threatening to disrupt operations of several nuclear reactors here.

They are bracing for the worst case scenario of a stoppage of three reactors ㅡ two in the Gori Nuclear Plant in Busan and one in the Wolsong Plant in Gyeongju, South Gyeongsang Province ㅡ which the hacker has warned they will “sabotage” unless the government stopped operations there from Christmas Day, Thursday.

The government didn’t comply, and nothing has yet to happen to the reactors.

But the government will maintain readiness since the hacker’s warning, delivered via a Twitter account, is not considered specious.

The targeted reactors are currently surrounded by heavily-armed troops and are accessible only through multiple checkpoints.

“We don’t think there will be an immediate cyber attack from the hacker,” presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook told The Korea Times by phone, Thursday evening. “But we will maintain the readiness until 8 a.m. Saturday.”

This comment came after a meeting of Cabinet members responsible for national security at Cheong Wa Dae.

During the meeting hosted by top national security advisor Kim Kwan-jin, participants held an intense review of defense measures against possible cyber attacks from North Korea and civilian hackers, according.

“We are doing everything we can to stave off anything that can go wrong at the reactors,” Industry and Energy Minister Yoon Sang-jick told people living near the Gori Plant, Thursday morning. “If there is something that needs to be improved to better cope with a cyber attack. We will address it as quickly as possible.”

The minister stayed overnight at the plant.

The hacker, the self-described president of an anti-nuclear group in Hawaii, has disclosed several confidential documents related to the reactors, including blueprints, internal testing data and names on the payroll, through links on the Twitter account since Dec. 15. The fifth information leak took place Tuesday.

While the government is trying to curb escalating public fear, arguing the leaked information is “not something critical,” prosecutors are investigating how it had been leaked.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that North Korea is involved.

The North is now thought to have been engaging in cyber warfare with the United States following the hacking of Sony Pictures over the controversial film “The Interview.”

“We don’t rule out the possibility that North Korea is behind the incident,” said Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, Wednesday. “Prosecutors and the authorities believe the hacker used foreign sites, although the investigation is still underway.”

The remarks came after prosecutors confirmed the hacker had hooked up to the Internet using an IP address issued in China.

“An IP address of the suspected hacker was traced to the Chinese city of Shenyang. Shenyang is home to cyber experts dispatched by the North Korean authorities,” said a senior prosecutor familiar with the case. “The hacker’s identity has not been confirmed. We are closely cooperating with the authorities in China and the FBI.”

He said it's too early to confirm that North Korea was responsible for the latest hacking; however, there is a strong possibility that Pyongyang was behind the attack.

The official said the IP address was acquired with the help of three virtual private network (VPN) operators.

“The IP address was traced to China through the United States, Japan and Korea,” he said.

VPN is a technology allowing users to connect to any website anytime they have Internet access. All data sent through a VPN is encrypted, meaning that users’ information is protected from hackers.

South Korea has 23 nuclear reactors and they supply nearly 35 percent of the country's total electricity consumption.