Presumably North Korean hackers sent e-mails containing malicious codes to defectors and human rights activists earlier this week in what could be the latest in its series of cyberattacks, a local report said Tuesday.
Daily NK, an online media outlet covering the North, reported that the hackers, disguised as part of the publicity team of Seoul’s National Police Agency, sent e-mails, entitled “Rules to Prevent Damage from Hackings,” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Monday.
North Korean flag. (Yonhap)
The e-mails carried malicious codes that were used to steal important documents stored in the victims’ computers, the media outlet reported. The hackers used the e-mail address, which was
“hong93@police.ac.kr,” it said.
Police authorities said they had never sent any such email to the victims, and that their e-mail address ends with “go.kr.”
Daily NK noted that a representative of the families of those abducted by the North had recently received a similar e-mail message. The representative has filed a complaint with the police, asking for a formal investigation into the case.
In recent years, Pyongyang has launched a host of cyberattacks on South Korean corporate and government websites by mobilizing its specially trained personnel, including those based in China and other foreign countries. (Yonhap)