South Korea Hit By DDoS Attacks

South Korea is subject to widespread cyber attacks targeting various industries, including government and financial institutions, and this has caused significant disruption to public life. 

Organisations in South Korea will likely continue to face a very high level of exposure to cyber threats in the coming months. This is due to an elevated cyber threat amid recent heightened tensions with North Korea which are driving attempts ro disrupt critical infrastructure in the South this year.

Threat actors with suspected ties to China and North Korea have been linked to ransomware and data encryption attacks targeting government and critical infrastructure sectors across the world between 2021 and 2023.

Key Website Attacked

These attacks mostly consist of direct-path attacks at key websites, including government agencies, tourism, law enforcement, and transportation. The spike first appeared in March 2024 and has been increasing.

South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook, soke to the media on behalf of 57 member states of the United Nations and the European Union, including the United States and Japan, on the human rights situation in North Korea (DPRK). In his statement, Ambassador Hwang described  the need to concrete change in DPRK to improve the welfare of its people, as the humanitarian situation is closely linked to its weapons development, creating harsh living conditions and a less secure world.  

This statement coincided with a second wave of DDoS attacks, leading to questions around the motives and coordination behind the latest round of cyber assaults by the DPRK regime.

These attacks target key websites that aid in the smooth operation of society, including the Korean National Police, National Tax Service, and more. The widespread footprint of these DDoS attacks shows the coordination these adversaries are capable of. and various differen groups have climed responibilty for the attacks.

North Korea is thought to be particularly motivated to pursue hostile cyber operations against South Korea in the coming months and  military tensions on the Korean peninsula are at a very high level.

This follows a series of escalating steps taken by the DPRK regime including a barrage of over 200 rounds of artillery near a disputed maritime border region in January and many commentators predict a military crisis is becoming more likely this year.

Global Security Mag     |     Netscout     |     Dragonfly Intelligence     |     Radware   |    Cyber Defense News     

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Image: sasha85ru

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Joint Opposition To Online Threats From North Korea:


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