The US Justice Department announced charges on a North Korean programmer for some high-profile cyberattacks, including the $81 million Bangladesh Bank hack.
The accused, Park Jin Hyok is alleged to be a North Korean spy, involved with the North Korean government-sponsored hacking team known as ‘Lazarus Group’ linked to the 2017 WannaCry 2.0 global ransomware attack, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank theft, and the 2014 hit on Sony Pictures Entertainment, among others.
Assistant Attorney General Demers says: “The Complaint alleges that the North Korean government, through a state-sponsored group, robbed a central bank and citizens of other nations, retaliated against free speech in order to chill it half a world away, and created disruptive malware that indiscriminately affected victims in more than 150 other countries, causing hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars’ worth of damage.”
With the US having no formal relations with North Korea, Park is not likely to ever face an American courtroom.
