U.S. sets up $10 million reward for info on N.K. malicious cyber actor

The United States offered Thursday to provide a reward of up to US$10 million for information on a North Korean cyber actor targeting America's critical infrastructure, as it strives to prevent Pyongyang's ability to generate revenue through illicit means to fund its weapons programs. The State Department announced the reward, accusing Rim Jong-hyok -- a North Korean national associated with a cyber group known as Andariel -- and others of being involved in malicious cyberactivities targeting U.S. hospitals, government entities, defense contractors and others. U.S. law enforcement investigators have documented that Andariel actors victimized five healthcare providers, four U.S.-based defense contractors, two U.S. Air Force bases and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, according to the department. "This action underscores the United States' continued efforts to address the DPRK's malicious cyber activity against critical infrastructure as well as prevent and disrupt the DPRK's ability to gen erate illicit revenue through malicious cyber activity, which it uses to fund its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs," the department said in a media note. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. WMD is short for weapons of mass destruction. "We encourage anyone with information on the malicious cyber activity of Rim Jong-hyok, Andariel and associated individuals, entities, and activities to contact Rewards for Justice," it added, referring to the department's reward program. The department accused Rim and others of conspiring to hack into the computer systems of U.S. hospitals and others, install ransomware and extort ransoms. It also said that they used ransom payments to fund cyber operations targeting U.S. government entities and U.S. and foreign defense contractors. "In one computer intrusion operation that began in November 2022, the malicious cyber actors hacked a U.S.-based defense contractor from which they extracted more than 30 gigabytes of data, including unclassified technical information regarding material used in military aircraft and satellites, much of which was from 2010 or earlier," the department said. The Andariel group is controlled by the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the North's key military intelligence agency, it said. The reward was put up for information leading to the identification or location of any person who engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government. In May, the department announced a reward of up to $5 million for information on three North Korean IT workers and their manager who were engaged in a scheme enabling the workers to get illicit telework employment with false identities belonging to U.S. citizens. Source: Yonhap News Agency