U.S. offers special training program on dealing with N. Korean malware

Diplomacy 05:32 September 08, 2022

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- The United States has developed a special training program to help detect and prevent malicious cyber activities by North Korea, the state department said Wednesday.

The nine-day training program, titled "Unhiding Hidden Cobra," has already been provided to government officials and cyber security specialists from six countries, according to the department, noting the U.S. refers to malicious cyber activity by North Korea as "Hidden Cobra."

The department said the program, developed and offered by its Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, includes "practical, hands-on exercises to equip participants to prevent, detect, and mitigate malicious cyber activity using cybersecurity information released by U.S. government agencies."

"Courses will continue to be offered to partner nations on a rotational basis through 2022 and 2023," it added in a press release.

Washington believes Pyongyang is increasingly relying on cyber theft to fund its illegal ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs, partly due to U.N. Security Council resolutions that have nearly cut off all its sources of hard currency.

The U.S. recently designated a number of what it calls "state-sponsored" North Korean cyber actors suspected of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in crypto currency.

"The DPRK's malicious cyber activities threaten the United States and the broader international community, including the integrity and stability of the global financial system," the state department said.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

"By cooperating with international partners to disrupt cyber threats, including those from the DPRK, the United States helps to strengthen global adherence to the framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace and build global cyber resilience," it added.