![Putin has now more influence on Kim’s regime. [Image via Presidential Press and Information Office/Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/3/660x290/b_502x220x82/putin-has-now-more-influence-on-kims-regime-image-credit-presidential-press-and-information-office-wikimedia-commons_1607565.jpg "Putin has now more influence on Kim’s regime. [Image via Presidential Press and Information Office/Wikimedia Commons]")
Kim Jong-un’s regime was held responsible for the numerous cyber attacks in recent years. Some of the major attacks were done against Sony Pictures and a number of banks. The most recent cyber attack was the WannaCry ransomware attack, but North Korea denied any involvement, Haaretz reported.
Is Russia sabotaging the United States again?
Reuters reports that TransTeleCom, Russia’s state-owned company, recently provided North Korea a new internet connection. This was confirmed by Cybersecurity experts.
Russia was resolute to help North Korea cut its dependence on China, which lately imposed harsher sanctions against its communist ally, 38 North reported.
Apparently, Russia just reinforced the cybersecurity capabilities of Kim Jong-un’s regime at a crucial time during escalating tensions with the United States Government. Martyn Williams, who runs the North Korea Tech blog, told Newsweek that officials of the North might have reached out to Russia for fear that China would totally give in to the demands of the United States government.
In the past, the internet traffic from Kim's regime was deliberately funneled via one link only. The link was provided by China Unicom, a Chinese telecommunications firm. But now, Kim’s regime got some support from Putin’s country because of the new internet connection. And while Russia and North Korea shared the same stand against US intervention in running their state affairs, China might go in a different direction.
The internet boost that boosts Kim’s morale
According to Bryce Boland, a cybersecurity expert with FireEye, the new link provided by Russia would actually heighten North Korea’s resilience to attacks, Reuters reported.
Moreover, the report of the new internet connection in Kim’s regime followed an operation by the U.S. Cyber Command.
They stealthily carried out an operation that attacked hackers who were affiliated with the regime's military spy agency over the weekend. This was how the Cyber Command came across the new link in Kim's regime.
Now things could get more complicated with Russia’s involvement with the North’s internet link. Obviously, all the attacks against hackers or computer servers in Kim’s regime could now freely travel through the internet infrastructure of Russia, 38 North reported.
Boland further explained that an attack by the United States on North Korea “could be seen as a provocative move against Russia," Reuters reported. Reading between the lines, any cyber attack could likely escalate the tensions between Russia and the United States.
Russia’s provision of internet traffic for North Korea gave it more influence over Kim’s regime. Russia could now easily peer into the United States link through the North Korean internet traffic. "It's a win-win for Russia," Boland concluded.
