North Korea's Growing Criminal Cyberthreat

As a nuclear superpower, not only does North Korea poses a political threat but also a cyber threat towards U.S national security. North Korea has been involved in conducting significant cyber espionage and unleashing destructive cyberattacks that wipe data from computer drives and interrupt internet connections.

A considerable portion of hackers are government-affiliated with the ultimate goal of funding the government. This government-controlled hacking is ascribed to North Korea's extraordinarily stringent controls on its population, with the majority lacking internet access. Cyber hackers in North Korea are state sponsored, sent to neighboring countries to earn funds for the government. Since at least 2004, North Korea has used cyber operations to spy on the United States and South Korea, and such acts have extended to sabotage.