Submitted via IRC for Bytram
Analysis of North Korea's Internet Traffic Shows a Nation Run Like a Criminal Syndicate
Recorded Future has published a series of analyses on North Korea's most senior leadership's use of the internet. As the last report of the series, it demonstrates how adaptable this leadership has become in both using and monetizing its use of the internet.
The leadership's pattern of global internet usage has shifted. A year ago, it peaked at the weekends, primarily for online gaming and video streaming. Over the last year, weekday usage has increased while weekend use has decreased (although weekend use is still primarily for gaming and streaming). Recorded Future does not know why this shift has occurred, but suggests that it is indicative of the global internet becoming a greater part of the leaders' every day work.
Concurrent with this pattern change has been the construction of North Korea's new Internet Communications Bureau headquarters in Pyongyang. The combination of changing usage patterns and the completion of this building could, suggests Recorded Future, "signify a professionalization of internet use across North Korea's most senior leadership. This would mean that these leaders utilize the internet to a greater extent as part of their jobs, as opposed to for their own entertainment."
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ilPapa on Tuesday October 30 2018, @07:06AM (10 children)
Do we really want to be talking about other countries being run like a criminal syndicate?
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @07:07AM (5 children)
What::About::Ism
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @07:10AM (4 children)
Knee::Jerk::Reaction
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @07:26AM (3 children)
Orange::Man::Bad
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday October 30 2018, @08:08AM (2 children)
Colons::colons::colons
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 3, Funny) by maxwell demon on Tuesday October 30 2018, @08:10AM (1 child)
Intestines::intestines::intestines
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @08:56AM
back::to::work
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday October 30 2018, @08:08AM (1 child)
Yes. Note that what "other" countries are is not the same for everyone here. For example, for me the USA belong to that category. I suspect for you it doesn't.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by ilPapa on Tuesday October 30 2018, @11:41PM
Unless you come from a country where corruption and self-dealing by politicians has completely been eliminated, or you are from North Korea, then yes, "other" countries works for you, too.
So, which is it, Max?
You are still welcome on my lawn.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @02:57PM
It's not even a comparison. People in china travel to the border to gawk at north koreans
That said I don't see how a shift to business use indicates that they're using it like a criminal syndicate.
I think the fact they generally operate like a criminal syndicate might indicate that.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Wednesday October 31 2018, @06:09AM
OK how about organizations ? NFL, NCAA, FIFA, IOC.
I wish the US was run like a criminal syndicate, that would be quietly and efficiently, what we have is here is more like an asylum run by the inmates, or a farm run by the henhouse.
Note : The above post contains a great deal of sarcasm.
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge
(Score: 5, Insightful) by MostCynical on Tuesday October 30 2018, @09:00AM (3 children)
so, which criminal syndicates were used to baseline internet activity? Do they get dumps of convicted criminal's gang's internet histories and map usage to time?
Were they comparing one particular identified group, or are they drawing conclusions based on assumptions based on guesses?
Or, are the researchers declaring certain activity to be likely to be criminal and that means anything North Korea does, qualifies?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @09:24AM (1 child)
If you use the internet for anything else than porn and games you're a dirty criminal. At least this is the impression I'm left with having read the fine summary.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Tuesday October 30 2018, @03:52PM
That was pretty much my impression from reading TFA as well. It talks about North Korea cryptocurrency raids, then goes on to correlate traffic to where North Koreans are living or studying, but internet traffic is disproportionate to the amount living/working in China and Russia, and that 12 to 16 hour working periods are common (how they ensure that it is the same person online and not a different person taking over the work at the same system is not stated). It's soup for the city from a handful of oysters. Not the least of which is that they don't establish how a criminal syndicate runs its internet operations at all - just equates North Korea to that by fiat.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @09:25AM
My guess? Banksters.
By and large, the Americans need a "bad guy", to close their eyes as the "good guys™" and dream the exceptional American Dream. Without the bad guys, the pressure of cognitive dissonance grows too high inside population.
The trouble is China is too strong, Russia is governed by Trump's boss, Africa is too confusing (country or continent? do they drink and how much?) [theatlantic.com].
So what do you expect?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @12:14PM (3 children)
How does one access to the internet without a computer?
Without an ISP?
Electricity?
What?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @02:52PM
Sneakernet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 30 2018, @02:52PM
Go look at pictures of north korea. Life is different for the elites.
(Score: 2) by archfeld on Wednesday October 31 2018, @06:12AM
One other option...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_over_Avian_Carriers [wikipedia.org]
For the NSA : Explosives, guns, assassination, conspiracy, primers, detonators, initiators, main charge, nuclear charge