North Korea Handpicks Its Hackers for “Secret War”

[Audrey McNeil <audrey () riskbasedsecurity com>]

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/12/07/north-korea-handpicks-its-hackers-for-secret-war/

As North Korea comes under the microscope following a crippling Sony
Pictures Entertainment leak, Reuters says hackers in the isolated nation
are part of the “pampered elite.” “Rewarded” is a word used to describe
them; they’re effectively the prized ponies of the hyper-mysterious foreign
world.

Even as a large majority of the country lives in poverty, leaders there
have poured resources into something called “Bureau 121,” a ring of
cyber-warfare whiz-kids. Some, handpicked and trained by the military, are
as young as 17 years old.

A North Korean defector said Bureau 121 includes some of the country’s most
talented computer experts, and is often used to sabotage (or spy on) its
enemies. North Korea has officially denied its involvement in the Sony
hack, though it’s still being considered a suspect by the U.S. National
Security Council. One defector, Jang Se-yul, who studied computer science
at the University of Automation, said North Korea considers cyber as one of
its biggest weapons. Only about 100 students graduate from the university,
which is surrounded by barbed wire, each year.

Defected computer science professor, Kim Heung-kwang, told Reuters members
of Bureau 121 are handpicked. “It is a great honor for them. It is a
white-collar job there and people have fantasies about it.”

“In North Korea, it’s called the Secret War,” Jang said, referring to the
country’s cyber activity.

North Korea is suspected because of the country’s anger over a movie, The
Interview, which is being released by Sony Pictures this Christmas. A
report from earlier this week claimed Sony would officially accuse North
Korea as the responsible party, though a Sony spokeswoman said no such
announcement was coming.

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