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Experts are suggesting the in-flight failure and crash of the missile launched by North Korea on Wednesday could have been the result of a "left-of-launch" attack by the United States. While these failures may have been the result of poor engineering on the part of the North Koreans, they may also have been deliberately brought down by the US.
[...] In 2014, then-President Barack Obama authorized additional research into "left-of-launch" efforts to neutralize North Korean missiles, as opposed to the more traditional deployment of anti-missile systems to destroy inbound weapons. "Left-of-launch" strategies involve electromagnetic propagation or cyber attacks against missiles immediately after launch, including through infected electronics aboard the weapon that confuse its command and control or targeting systems.
[...] Part of the beauty of a "left-of-launch" attack, said Lance Gatling, a defence analyst and president of Tokyo-based Nexial Research Inc, is that the North Koreans cannot be sure that any imported electronics have not been deliberately permitted to evade sanctions because they are infected with malware. Similarly, when a launch fails they are also unable to determine what brought the missile down.
Previously: North Korean Missiles and What the US is Doing About It
(Score: 5, Interesting) by butthurt on Friday April 07 2017, @08:36AM (1 child)
> It is no stretch to think [the NSA] would do the same to shipments destined for the DPRK.
It's a certainty that they'd like to do so. That they have the means is more doubtful. Mr. Snowden told us about tampering of equipment shipped by Cisco, which is based in the United States.
I found a 2003 report, with information from 1993:
According to U.S. and South Korean government sources, the Pyongyang Semiconductor Factory produces electronic components for missiles. [...] Pyongyang's technological capabilities in this area are relatively backward. According to defector Kim Myŏng Ch'ŏl, North Korea was procuring integrated circuits from the former Soviet Union, later Russia, and Japan to be used in rockets, tanks, and submarines while he worked at the Man'gyŏngdae Jewel Processing Factory from 1986 to 1993.
-- http://www.nti.org/learn/facilities/190/ [nti.org]
I should think that the NSA has less ability to intercept packages sent from Russia or Japan, as compared to what it does in its home country. Obviously my source may be outdated. China now has a robust electronics industry, and there too I wouldn't count on the NSA being able to tamper with packages. It's possible that, anticipating such mischief, the DPRK might send an emissary to purchase and pick up critical components.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by nobu_the_bard on Friday April 07 2017, @07:52PM
Considering they aimed some missiles at Japan, it wouldn't surprise me if Japan shipped them some crummy parts.