U.S. Justice Department officials said on Thursday they have charged and sanctioned a North Korean man in the 2017 global WannaCry ransomware cyberattack and the 2014 cyberassault on Sony Corp .
The charges, part of a strategy by the U.S. government to deter future cyberattacks by naming and shaming the alleged perpetrators, also alleged that the North Korean hacker broke into the central bank of Bangladesh in 2016, according to a criminal complaint.
Park Jin Hyok worked as part of a team of hackers, also known as the Lazarus Group, to try to breach multiple other U.S. businesses, according to the complaint. In 2016 and 2017, Park's targets included defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp . The complaint said there was no evidence Lockheed was breached.
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions against Park and the Chinese-based front company he worked for, Chosun Expo.
Also covered by c|net:
The Justice Department has charged a North Korean computer programmer in major cybercrimes over the last four years, including the WannaCry ransomware attack and the Sony Pictures hack.
The DOJ said Thursday that it's charged Jin Hyok Park, a North Korean computer programmer, with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud and abuse and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges are related to a massive attack against Sony in 2014, the $81 million Bangladesh Bank heist in 2016 and the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 that ensnared thousands of computers in hospitals, universities and banks worldwide.
The Sony attack was tied to the film The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, a comedy that depicted an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
In retaliation, North Koreans pulled off one of the most damaging hacks on a US company, leaking thousands of emails between Sony executives, including personal information about employees and celebrities. The attack also crippled the company's computer infrastructure.
The WannaCry attack locked up more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries, demanding that victims pay the ransom or risk losing access to their devices forever.
Park is not the only person accused in these attacks, but he is the only person named in the criminal complaint. DOJ officials said that Park didn't act alone and that the investigation is still ongoing.
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @11:14AM (5 children)
Im praying for Trump to lose in this upcoming election so bad that tears are streaming from my every orifice. My good side is going numb and I can see angels out of the corner of that eye as I type this.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday September 07 2018, @11:23AM
Park, meet Snark.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday September 07 2018, @11:27AM
So, like an all natural bidet then? Pro-tip: The salt might cause irritation if you let them air dry.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @03:13PM (2 children)
Not sure if you are aware, but Trump isn't running in this election cycle, so your waiting for him to lose is a futile effort.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday September 07 2018, @04:31PM (1 child)
I can see what you are doing. And it won't work.
Trying to create confusion by using facts.
People are too smart for that.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @04:41PM
At the facebook/twitter hearing the other day one of the two promised to start showing alternative facts and fake news side by side with each other, presumably so people can fairly choose what they would like to believe.
Found it, it was facebook:
https://www.wsbradio.com/news/national-govt--politics/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-keeps-his-cool-before-congress/bONgKuHxpPdaK0WLqZ74uL/ [wsbradio.com]
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday September 07 2018, @11:30AM
So, was he a contracted state actor, in which case it's a diplomatic matter and not a criminal one, or was he acting as an individual, in which case the sanctions were unjustified?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @11:32AM (4 children)
At what point is the evidence presented for this? I remember when those russians were indicted for trolling people on facebook the doj released a long list of complaints that seemed to imply they knew exactly who was using a given ip address at any time, but didnt explain how. How did they manage to link this to a specific guy in north korea?
(Score: 0, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @02:33PM
No evidence needed in today's reporting. Just keep on repeating it and assert it is true and correct because $x other sources have said so. Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delenda est.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Thexalon on Friday September 07 2018, @03:44PM
Evidence? You want evidence? He's a filthy stinking foreigner commie from halfway around the world (unless you're in Alaska, Hawaii, or Guam), doing scary-sounding things you don't understand involving technology from a
small roomsecret lair! What more evidence could you need?The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday September 07 2018, @06:20PM (1 child)
I remember when those russians were indicted for trolling people on facebook the doj released a long list of complaints that seemed to imply they knew exactly who was using a given ip address at any time, but didnt explain how.
Yes, indictments come before the trial. The trial is where evidence is presented.
Any other elementary school social studies questions you'd like me to answer?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @06:59PM
Obviously there will never be a trial for this North Korean guy, so your answer is based on a flawed premise. I didnt think this had to be explained.
So to clarify: In the case of "no trial" (ie, reality), when do we see the evidence?
Even in the Russian case one of them surprised everyone and hired a lawyer, now last I heard the government keeps delaying the trial and trying to hide the evidence. Random source: http://www.independentsentinel.com/muellers-russian-troll-case-is-a-farce-thats-falling-apart/ [independentsentinel.com]
Feel free to update that with a new/better source.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 07 2018, @04:04PM
I bet there are corporations in america that want to H1B him...er, I mean extradite him.
(Score: 4, Funny) by DannyB on Friday September 07 2018, @04:34PM
Quick! An executive order that North Korea cannot hack or engage in any kind of warfare using the cyber.
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday September 07 2018, @09:10PM
They should have let Kim Jong Whatever do the hacking: he'd have gotten away with it... i hear he's an expert at everything. I hear he even shoots a 17 on an 18 hole golf course!
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---