(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyun-su = The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has warned on the 4th that cases of the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau using advanced hacking techniques to steal confidential information and core technologies from state agencies and high-tech companies are spreading.
The types of attacks are related to software supply chains, including ▲ bypass infiltration of institutions and companies through hacking of IT service providers ▲ infiltration exploiting vulnerabilities in IT solutions and software ▲ hacking targeting gaps in security management, according to the NIS.
According to the NIS, the organization hacked an employee’s email at a municipal IT maintenance company last October, stole the server access account from the email, and attempted unauthorized access to a remote management server of the municipal network to steal administrative data.
Last month, they tried to exploit the security vulnerabilities of a defense partner company’s electronic approval and communication ‘groupware’ to install malware and steal internal data such as employee emails and network configurations.
Additionally, attempts were made to attack IT infrastructure maintenance companies, biopharmaceutical companies, and mobile identity verification companies.
The NIS emphasized the need to strengthen security education for IT service provider employees and block external access routes to prevent such attacks.
Moreover, it stressed the preparation of measures such as implementing software security patches, prohibiting administrator account access via the internet, conducting regular vulnerability checks, and improving internal security management through checklist guidelines.
Yoon Oh-jun, the third deputy director of the NIS, stated, “Software supply chain attacks can lead to widespread damage, so both IT providers and users must remain vigilant,” adding that at the government level, efforts will be made to institutionalize the ‘Software Supply Chain Security System’ by 2027 through the ‘Government Joint Supply Chain Security TF’ launched last September to advance supply chain security.