Cyber Attack Again
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation’s internal data was circulated online again on July 8, with a self-proclaimed hacker threatening to expose the corruption of the corporation. The Public Prosecutors’ Office has launched an investigation.
The problem is that the Public Prosecutors’ Office failed to meet expectations in a similar incident that occurred Dec. last year. At that time, the Public Prosecutors’ Office pegged North Korea as the mastermind, because the IP addresses and the “Kimsuky” malware used in the hacking were similar to those used by North Korean hackers, and most of the access points corresponded to IP addresses in Shenyang, China, home to a lot of North Korean hacker activities.
However, the Public Prosecutors’ Office only found that circumstantial evidence. It also had to stop its investigation due to the lack of diplomatic cooperation with China. This is contrary to the United States’ response to the hacking of Sony Pictures, which was characterized by a comprehensive investigation and the diplomatic pressure put on suspicious countries that led to clear physical evidence. The U.S. pegged the North as the mastermind, and also retaliated by paralyzing its Internet too.
“Given that we cannot be on par with the United States in terms of diplomatic control, and the investigation has its own limitations for diplomatic reasons, we need to shore up our own digital forensic and anti-cyber crime capabilities so that we can identify the culprits on our own,” an expert advised.