Pyongyang’s cyber-attacks will expand globally

Significance

Cybersecurity companies regularly uncover and flag new risks. South Korean targets this year have included the Ministry of Unification (MOU), the court system, and defence and construction companies. Elsewhere, the latest known victims of North Korean cybertheft are cryptocurrency exchanges in India and Indonesia.

Impacts

• Moscow will be wary of military cooperation with North Korea, since in 2022 Pyongyang apparently hacked a Russian missile developer.
• Cryptocurrency thefts through North Korean social engineering campaigns will likely expand.
• Less developed economies lacking cyber defence capacities will be increasingly targeted through malware and phishing campaigns.