North Korea has Successfully Hacked Warship Blueprints

The North Korea Hacking Department – Office 39

Relations with North Korea are not very good at the moment. This is, in part, due to political tension, but also the very real threat that the country is currently posing to online security.

What many may not know is that North Korea actually has a governmentally endorsed hacking department. Known as ‘Office 39’, the department has already successfully (according to various allegations) infiltrated, stolen or disputed many organizations.

I should, diplomatically, note at this point that not all attacks are confirmed by the affected parties. In addition, I can’t think of a single instance in which North Korea admitted it. Then again, why would they?

From an online aspect, one of the most concerning would be the endorsed hacking of Bitcoin accounts. That being said, the latest report by SkyNews does take a someone more internally ominous tone.

The report suggests that ‘Office 39’ has, during espionage, successfully hacked a military manufacturer to gain access to blueprints to no less than a battleship and even submarines!

We do not get many windows into North Korea and in addition, those that we do get can sometimes be very strange. The regularly of these announcements, however, are of a concern. The amount we report on this is certainly, at a bare minimum, eye-brow raising.

You sunk my battleship!

Reports suggest that the department, as above endorsed by the North Korea government, successfully hacked Daewoo Shipbuilding last year. As part of the infiltration over 40,000 documents were stolen or compromised of which 60 were deemed classified.

These documents included designs, specifications and even the blueprints to a battleship.  It’s at times like that that I think I’d prefer that North Korea stuck to hacking British TV producers.

The report comes just days after the UK government specifically blamed North Korea for the NHS Wannacry cyber attack.

Kyeong Dae-soo, a member of the South Korean opposition party announced the infiltration saying: “We are almost 100% certain that North Korean hackers were behind the hacking and stole the company’s sensitive documents.”

Strangely enough, the company themselves have yet to confirm or deny the attacks. Daewoo Shipbuilding has not categorically confirmed the attack, however, they have said they are investigating the claims. The lack of an outright refutation of the claims means that they are very likely true.

What worries you more? North Korea and the government-sponsored hacking? The lack of better security at a military developer? – Let us know in the comments.