Park Jin Hyok (Korean: 박진혁) is a North Korean programmer[1] and hacker.[2] He is best known for his alleged involvement in some of the costliest computer intrusions in history.[3][4] Park is on the FBI's wanted list.[5] North Korea denies his existence.[6][7]
Park Jin Hyok | |
|---|---|
 Photo from Park's FBI wanted poster | |
| Nationality | North Korean |
| Occupations |
|
| Organization | Lazarus Group (for Lab 110 / Chosun Expo Joint Venture) |
| Criminal charge(s) | Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Conspiracy to Commit Computer-Related Fraud (Computer Intrusion) |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 박진혁 |
| Revised Romanization | Bak Jinhyeok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pak Chinhyŏk |
Life and career
editEarly life
editPark attended the Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang.[8] He has traveled to China in the past and conducted IT work for the North Korean company "Chosun Expo" in addition to activities conducted on behalf of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau.[9][10]
Lazarus group and computer hacking
edit
Park is a member of a North Korea's government-funded hacking team known as “Lazarus Group (or APT 38)” and worked for Chosun Expo Joint Venture (aka Korea Expo Joint Venture), a North Korean government front company, to support the North Korean government’s malicious cyber actions.[11][12] Chosun is affiliated with Lab 110, a component of North Korea's military intelligence. Expo Joint Venture had offices in China (PRC) and North Korea.[13][14]
Sony Pictures hack
editIn November 2014, the conspirators launched a destructive attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in retaliation for the movie The Interview, a political action comedy film that depicted the assassination of the DPRK’s leader by a CIA spy. North Korea denied allegations of hacking.[15]
WannaCry ransomware attack
editThe United States Department of Justice has charged Park and other members of the Lazarus group for the WannaCry ransomware attack of 2017,[16] which involved the spreading of ransomware that encrypted files on victims' computers after spreading itself to other vulnerable devices on the local network that the compromised computer could access. It would then request ransom payments be made in the form of cryptocurrency in exchange for decryption keys allowing victims to recover their files. The attack affected countless numbers of businesses and organizations throughout the world, including in one incident infecting the United Kingdom’s NHS, where nonfunctional computer systems led to thousands of appointments being canceled.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Norman, Greg (September 6, 2018). "North Korean computer programmer charged by Justice Department for 2014 Sony hack". Fox News. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "US charges North Korean programmer for WannaCry virus, Sony Pictures attack". WION. September 6, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "10 cyber security facts and statistics for 2018". us.norton.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "DOJ announces charges against North Korean hacker for Sony, Wannacry cyber attacks". ABC News. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "DOJ announces charges against North Korean hacker for Sony, Wannacry cyber attacks". ABC News. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "North Korea disputes existence of Park Jin Hyok, suspected Sony hacker". The Washington Times. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "North Korea claims NHS and Sony hack suspect 'doesn't exist'". BBC News. September 14, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "미국 FBI 북한 해커 공개 수배". NK경제 (in Korean). September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "US charges North Korean programmer over WannaCry, Sony cyberattacks". South China Morning Post. September 6, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "North Korea Says Alleged WannaCry Hacker US' "Figment Of Imagination"". NDTV.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Park Jin Hyok of Lazarus Group". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Bergman, Ronen; Perlroth, Nicole (August 12, 2020). "North Korean Hacking Group Attacks Israeli Defense Industry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Geller, Eric (February 17, 2021). "North Korean hackers are 'the world's leading bank robbers,' U.S. charges". POLITICO. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Gmail helped lead US to North Korean accused in Sony cyberattack". South China Morning Post. September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Nakashima, Ellen; Barrett, Devlin. "U.S. charges North Korean operative in conspiracy to hack Sony Pictures, banks". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Cimpanu, Catalin. "How US authorities tracked down the North Korean hacker behind WannaCry". ZDNet. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Lynch, Christopher Bing, Sarah N. (September 6, 2018). "U.S. charges North Korean hacker in Sony, WannaCry cyberattacks". Reuters. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
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