S. Korea, Britain issue joint advisory on N.K. hacking attempts

▲ This image, provided by Seoul's National Intelligence Service on Nov. 23, 2023, shows a joint cybersecurity advisory issued by spy agencies of South Korea and Britain. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

spy agency-NK hacking

S. Korea, Britain issue joint advisory on N.K. hacking attempts

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- Spy agencies of South Korea and Britain on Thursday issued a joint warning against North Korea's hacking attempts on software supply chains frequently used by companies and individuals, officials said.

The National Cyber Security Center under South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the National Cyber Security Centre under Britain's Government Communications Headquarters said they have officially identified cases of North Korean hacking groups' supply chain attacks.

The cases include a "watering hole" attack on MagicLine4NX, a non-ActiveX joint certificate program developed by South Korean digital security firm Dream Security Co., which is used by tens of millions of people in South Korea.

A watering hole attack refers to a form of a cyberattack that targets a large number of users by infecting websites they commonly visit.

The NIS said it has taken measures with related authorities earlier this year to prevent similar attacks.

Another identified case included the breach of desktop application software distributed by a global communication solutions provider, 3CX, used by around 600,000 companies and institutions worldwide, including those in the aerospace and medical industries.

North Korean hackers were found to have infiltrated the development process of 3CX and planted a malicious code in the installation program to extract information from downloaders.

South Korea and Britain's cybersecurity agencies said the 3CX software has gone through an update to prevent additional hacking attacks, but asked its users to vaccinate their computers with updated antivirus software.

The joint advisory comes shortly after Seoul and London agreed to strengthen bilateral cybersecurity cooperation during a summit between President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday.

South Korea's spy agency said it marks the first time Britain has issued a joint cybersecurity advisory with a country other than the members of the Five Eyes alliance comprising Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

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