After Russia gave Kim’s regime a cyber lifeline, the cyber ability of North Korea became more powerful. Now it seems that the rogue nation poses not only a nuclear threat but also a cyberthreat, which some people believe to be more terrifying, The Washington Post reported.
According to The Diplomat, North Korea’s cyber attacks could definitely paralyze infrastructure, including transportation systems, power grids, financial networks, and so on. Cyber attacks may also engender social disorder and even anarchy.
Until recently, the cyber attack capabilities of Kim Jong-un’s regime were ignored by cybersecurity experts.
They believed that the North’s cyber ability could not present a serious threat. Now, however, they have taken back their words. According to a post in the New York Times, cybersecurity experts admitted that they underestimated the cyber capabilities of Kim’s regime. They said the North’s major cyber attacks included the robbery of Bangladesh’s central bank. The hackers were able to steal approximately $81 million.
The World no longer mocks the North’s cyber capabilities
According to journalists Nicole Perlroth, David Kirkpatrick, and David Sanger, Kim’s regime has over 6,000 hackers. In addition, British and American cybersecurity experts were convinced that the hackers’ performance has undeniably improved, The Washington Post reported.
Chris Inglis, former NSA deputy director, said the cyber capabilities of North Korea could utterly risk both nation-state and private-sector infrastructures. The New York Times reports that Kim’s regime was somehow encouraged and instructed by Iran. But mostly, North Korea’s gains showed the country’s persistence.
How will the US respond to the North’s cyber prowess?
The cyber capabilities of Kim Jong-un’s regime might go beyond the rogue nation’s angry response to “The Interview.” The North was able to hack Sony Pictures Entertainment, the studio that produced the 2014 satire movie. The North will continue to resort to hacking to prevent any criticism against Kim Jong-un.
It remains uncertain how the US government might respond to the cyber prowess of Kim’s regime. The Washington Post reports that thousands of US cyberwarriors could daily map North Korea’s few networks. These American cyberwarriors could search for potential vulnerabilities which could be activated during times of crisis. By some accounts, the US has already planted sleeper cells in the networks of the rogue nation.
On the other hand, the American government appears to be more dependent on the Internet than the North. This revealed the United States’ vulnerability to cyber attacks. There could be a huge number of systems that could be crippled and shut down in the US by North Korea. Although many US citizens think that technological superiority works to their advantage, the opposite could also be true.
