UN Investigates $3B North Korean Cyberattack Campaign for Mass Destruction Weapons Funding

Defense News ,North Korea :- United Nations officials are looking into 58 cyberattacks conducted by North Korea from 2017 to 2023, raising $3 billion to support the development of weapons of mass destruction. The UN Security Council received these updates, connecting the findings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's continuous creation of ballistic missiles and a nuclear attack submarine, along with tests that violated alliance agreements from 2006.

According to Reuters, citing unpublished UN documents, "The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continued to flout Security Council sanctions. It further developed nuclear weapons and produced nuclear fissile materials, although its last known nuclear test took place in 2017."

The council disclosed that hacking groups affiliated with North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, its foreign intelligence arm, are responsible for these cyberattacks. The groups target defense companies and supply chains, and they are increasingly sharing infrastructure and tools, as reported by the monitoring group that updates the council biannually.

While the UN has not responded to the advisory, a public statement is expected to be released in February or March. The updates from UN sanctions monitors also highlighted additional violations, including North Korea's disregard for resolutions since its first nuclear test in the early 2000s. These resolutions banned military supplies and luxury goods to Pyongyang, as well as imposed restrictions on the republic's Foreign Trade Bank and North Korean citizens working abroad.

The UN sanction group reported, "The panel is investigating reports from Member States about supplies by DPRK of conventional arms and munitions in contravention of sanctions. The 2023 overall recorded trade volume surpassed the total for 2022, accompanied by the reappearance of a large variety of foreign consumer goods, some of which could be classified as luxury items. The panel investigated reports of numerous DPRK nationals working overseas earning income in violation of sanctions, including in the information technology, restaurant, and construction sectors."