TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsUS says North Korean malware lurking in computer networks
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Cyberattacks: An IT researchers shows on a giant screen a computer infected by a ransomware at the LHS (High Security Laboratory) of the INRIA (National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation) in Rennes, on November 3, 2016. (AFP/Damien Meyer)
U
S authorities said Tuesday malware developed in North Korea is still lurking in many computer networks, giving hackers backdoor access to government, financial, automotive and media organizations.
An alert issued by the Department of Homeland Security warned of surreptitious activity by the so-called "Hidden Cobra" hacker group, also known by the name "Lazarus."
US officials earlier this year blamed the group for a series of cyberattacks dating back to 2009, saying it was linked to the Pyongyang government.
In Tuesday's warning, the DHS Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said the hacker could still maintain a presence on victims' networks with the aim of "further network exploitation."
The report said some networks could be infected with the Volgmer "backdoor Trojan" or a remote administration tool known as Fallchill, which can give hackers complete control of a system.
It said FBI investigators suspect the Fallchill tool has been used since 2016 and Volgmer since 2013.
Private security analysts refer to Hidden Cobra as the "Lazarus" group of hackers linked to North Korea and likely behind a series of multimillion-dollar cyber thefts from banks around the world.
Some analysts say the Lazarus group may also have been behind the WannaCry ransomware outbreak earlier this year.
Hackers in the Hidden Cobra or Lazarus group have been active since 2009 and "have leveraged their capabilities to target and compromise a range of victims," according to a DHS report in June.
"Some intrusions have resulted in the exfiltration of data while others have been disruptive in nature."
DHS and FBI officials say the group "will continue to use cyber operations to advance their government's military and strategic objectives," according to the DHS report.
North Korea has denied orchestrating any cyber attacks, but the latest report comes amid rising tensions with the United States over the communist regime's nuclear testing program.
