South Korean TV Stations and Major Banks Hacked

The South Korean army is currently on alert as investigations are ongoing when it comes to a hacking incident that happened on Wednesday. Two major banks (Shinhan Bank and NongHyup Bank) and three broadcasting companies, namely KBS, MBC, and YTN were drastically affected by the incident. The state of readiness of the military forces is merely a precautionary measure. The latest set of attacks did not involve the military, government institutions, airports, ports, oil refineries, and power stations.

“Our Movement”

The cyber-attack was directed on an Internet provider that served these companies. The LG UPlus Corp. was hacked by a group that only gave the name, “Whois Team” which declared that it was just the beginning. A page that appeared on the network showed a warning and three skulls.

Deleted files

Initial reports revealed that the hacking was massive and investigators told the press that it might take a few days to collect evidence relevant to the hacking attacks. The television networks and banks that were infiltrated lost files. The three TV networks are still non-operational because personnel are unable to boot their computers to get their systems up and running again. The banks have already resumed their operations.

Woori Bank, another financial institution in South Korea was also attacked, but its files were not infected. The police have delegated personnel on the institutions affected by the hacking attacks and are preparing for a long haul as investigations continue. The officials of the cyber-terrorism department of the National Police Agency are currently at the scene.

Is the North involved?

The South Korean government has not yet commented on the possible involvement of North Korea on the coordinated hacking attacks. But the South Korean intelligence group has already accused their neighbor to the north of cyber attacks aimed at disabling the policies of the South Korean government. The accusations are not totally without basis. It is a known fact that the North supports hacker schools. And in the past Pyongyang has attacked newspapers, government offices, and banks in the South. In 2011, North Korean hackers directed a 10-day cyber attack on McAfee, an antivirus firm. The event called, “Ten Days of Rain” denied the South service and served to determine the defenses of their rival nation should a major conflict arise. A source from the South Korean intelligence community shared the insight that cyber attack is a means by which the North believes it can “hurt Seoul by spreading disinformation.”

Speculations on their involvement are even strengthened by a recent threat by the North to attack Seoul and the United States when sanctions were imposed on the territory due to its nuclear testing activities. The attack on Wednesday is in fact coinciding with meetings between United States and South Korean officials with regard to enforcement of said sanctions which are directed to four Pyongyang officials and the Foreign Trade Bank of North Korea.

However, the police assigned to the case caution the public against assigning responsibility before until a thorough investigation has been conducted.