North Korea has carried out intensive cyber attacks against South Korean shipbuilders in an effort to bolster its military capabilities upon leader Kim Jong-un’s instruction, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in South Korea said.

South Korea’s News Agency (Yonhap) quoted, the NIS as saying it had detected “multiple” attempts at cyber offenses by North Korean hacking groups against domestic shipbuilding companies and their employees in August and September.

The hackers infiltrated computers of IT maintenance companies for shipbuilders or distributed malicious emails to the employees to steal sensitive information, according to the NIS.

“Such intensive attacks are presumed to have been made as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered to build mid- to large-sized warships,” the NIS said. “North Korea is expected to continue such attacks against our shipbuilders and component manufacturing firms.” In response, the NIS vowed to beef up monitoring and extend supportive measures for domestic companies, an
d called on them to strengthen security checks and other preventive measures.

Source: Qatar News Agency