The revelations come from cyber security company McAfee, which reported that an operation dubbed “Operation Sharpshooter” had hit more than 100 targets in New York and Houston, as well the likes of London, Madrid and Tokyo.
According to the New York Times, the attack began in 2017, at a time when tensions between North Korea and the United States were flaring.
Despite tensions lessening, Time reported the attacks have been persistent, with other targets including the defence industry, government, and telecommunication providers.
McAfee refused to disclose the companies that were affected.
Raj Samani, chief scientist at McAfee, told The Times: “[The hackers] are very, very, very active. It’s been nonstop.”
OPERATION SHARPSHOOTER
The motive behind the attacks was not clear, but it had been highly organised and focused, being aimed at engineers and executives who had broad access to their companies’ computer networks and intellectual property, The Times reported.
The brunt of the attack was targeted at companies in Houston and New York City.
Meanwhile, cities in Russia and China – both of which maintain good relationships with North Korea – got off lightly.
Time reported that the 18-month on-going Operation Sharpshooter was orchestrated by the North Korean Lazarus group.
Working with an undisclosed law enforcement agency, McAfee said its researchers got access to one of the main computer servers used by the hackers.
The researcher then watched attacks unfold in real-time.
After president Donald Trump’s first meeting with North Korea 15 months earlier, North Korea agreed to stop test-firing its missiles.
It seems the aggressive stance did not extend to cyber warfare.
In 2017 a cyber attack from North Korea called Wannacry against the NHS left taxpayers with a near £100 million bill.
Source: Read Full Article