Defector Claims that North Korea Trying to Develop Cyberattack Capability Against US Nuclear Plants

It is well known that the North Koreans have decent hacking capabilities, but if they were to attempt to take out a nuclear plant I think the gloves would have to come off to deal with them:

A North Korean defector who worked as a university professor in the country has said in an interview with the BBC that North Korea now has over 6,000 hackers.

Professor Kim Heung-Kwang taught science at a university in North Korea for 20 years. But he defected in 2004 and fled the country.

Speaking to the BBC, Kim estimated that up to 20% of North Korea’s military spending goes toward Bureau 121, the army unit believed to focus on hacking.

Kim suggests the capabilities of North Korea’s hackers are significant. He said “their cyberattacks could have similar impacts as military attacks, killing people and destroying cities.”

Another claim made in the interview is that North Korea is working to develop its own malware based on Stuxnet. North Korea was named responsible for the Sony Pictures hack, in which it used modified computer software to hack into Sony Pictures and take over the company’s servers. But now Kim says the country wants to develop a new type of malware that can target nuclear plants. [Business Insider]

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