NK Cyber-Attack

[Anchor Lead]

High-ranking South Korean government officials in charge of national security say they’ve been on the receiving end of a cyber-attack from North Korea. The attack targeted some 90 officials from the ministries of national defense, foreign affairs and unification. Here’s more.

[Pkg]

North Korea's latest hacking attack targeted high-ranking officials at the ministries of national defense, foreign affairs and unification. University professors handling information North Korea and private businesses with access to weapons information were also under attack. The hackers tried to steal classified data via email over the past six months starting in January. Prosecutors have so far confirmed 90 people who have fallen victim to the hacking attack. The hackers managed to break into the personal emails and steal the passwords of 56 of the victims.

[Soundbite] Kim Young-dae(Supreme Prosecutors' Office) : "The hackers' primary goal was to obtain information on foreign affairs and national security. They hacked the emails of officials and researchers in the fields of foreign affairs, security and defense."

After tracing the attackers' server, the prosecutors found that the hacked information had been deleted on a regular basis. This means that at this point it's hard to find out when and where the attacks were conducted and who they targeted. The scope of damage is expected to grow further. The prosecutors have requested the affected government ministries to estimate their damage. They will also investigate if there are more victims and if any classified information has been leaked.