June 14, 2016 10:51
North Korean hackers have broken into the computer systems of Korean Air and other defense firms since July 2014 and stolen more than 40,000 documents, police said Monday.
The operatives hacked Korean Air's computer system and apparently stole designs for the wings of the F-15 fighter jet wing as well as information on medium-altitude drones currently in development.
The hackers, who were traced to an IP address in Pyongyang's Ryugyong district, hacked into the PC management programs of a South Korean Internet security company and spread 33 different malicious codes into some computers.
They also infiltrated the computer systems at private businesses using the security company's programs, stole documents and deleted them. Some 160 public and private agencies and businesses use the programs.
The hacking attacks targeted 17 SK affiliates, 10 Hanjin subsidiaries including Korean Air, and KT, police said. Police monitored North Korean hacking attacks after the North's latest nuclear test in January of this year and spotted the malicious codes in February.
Police found that a total of 46,208 documents were leaked including 26,000 with military information, but none of the military documents were classified.
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