By Jung Min-ho
Hackers obtained the blueprints of atomic reactors by breaking into the email accounts of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. (KHNP) officials and their subcontractors, the state-run nuclear plant operator said Wednesday.
An unidentified hacker group last month posted partial blueprints of a number of nuclear plants online. The prosecution later said the hackers used IP addresses based in China, suggesting they have possible ties to North Korea.
According to the KHNP, investigators at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office have found that the hackers first sent emails, which contain malicious software, to infect the computers of KHNP officials and their subcontractors in August and September.
Then, the hackers leaked information, including the designs and manuals for some nuclear reactors as well as their air-conditioning and cooling systems, the investigators noted.
The hackers posted links to the information on a Twitter account page, raising concerns about safeguards around nuclear facilities in the country.
On Twitter, the hackers claimed they were an anti-nuclear group based in Hawaii, saying they had more documents to disclose.
In cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, the investigators are trying to track them.
Meanwhile, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), a nuclear watchdog, said it will strengthen its ability to fight possible cyber attacks.
In an annual policy briefing to the president, the NSSC said it would form a task force to fight against such attacks and place more staffers on its cyber-security team, increasing its size from three to 30.
Korea has 23 nuclear reactors in operation, from which it gets about 30 percent of its electricity supply, and is building several more.
The NSSC said it would set up legal frameworks covering all processes ranging from design to shutdown of a nuclear reactor, to prepare for the closing of aging reactors.