The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Anonymous says ready to release N.K. missile data

By Yoon Min-sik

Published : June 20, 2013 - 20:34

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An international hacking group has said it has gained access to North Korea’s IT networks and will soon reveal information on its military and weapons programs.

The hackers said they would “indicate our strength” Tuesday, which marks the 63rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

Anonymous claimed that it had successfully penetrated the intranet and private networks of the communist state.

“We were successful,” the activist group said in a statement released on YouTube, adding that it obtained “major missile documentation and residents, military documents.”

“We are partially sharing this information with the world,” it warned confirming its previous promise to launch a major online attack on the “tyrants” of the North on June 25.

The statement was posted on Monday by a group claiming to be Anonymous Operation North Korea.

In early April, the hacktivists carried out hacking attacks against several North Korean websites including main propaganda outlet Uriminzokkiri.

It released a list of some 9,000 subscribers to the North Korean site including around 2,000 who used South Korea-based email addresses.

The hacking group claimed they “work toward world peace and for the Republic of Korea.”

Later in the month, a member of the group said via Twitter that its local branch, Anonymous Korea, was aiming to hack into the North’s Kwangmyong national intranet on June 25.

The unnamed hacker said the group would install a so-called Ninja Gateway which will give outsiders and North Koreans unrestricted access to the country’s intranet, which is cut off from the World Wide Web.

Its members told a South Korean news outlet earlier this month that Anonymous has already broken into North Korean systems and obtained information on its missiles and high-ranking officials.

The group will make parts of the data public to show their capability, and hand over the rest to other activist organizations such as WikiLeaks, they said.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)