The UN is currently investigating over 50 cyberattacks by North Korea from 2017-2023. They take down critical infrastructure with these attacks to generate leverage and then demand cryptocurrency payment, mainly focusing on the US and South Korea. These attacks are estimated to have generated ~$3B to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. While most of the attacks are financially motivated, a few are political, such as threatening theaters when the movie “The Interview” was released. With the upcoming South Korean elections in one month, it’s expected that North Korea will increase attacks on South Korea and spread disinformation. Going forward, the US, Japan and South Korea plan to work together to counter North Korean cyber threats through new trilateral initiatives.
