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.
Park was working on behalf of the North Korean government, the investigators said.
“This is one of the most complex and longest cyber investigations that the department has conducted,” John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security, said Thursday.
Source: CNET.COM
Discussion about this post