- North Korea has created a new AI -Hacking Department
- The new group is called ‘Research Center 227’
- North Korea performed many cyber offensives in 2024, including a fake interview campaign
The Democratic People’s Republic Korea (North Korea) has established the “Research Center 227” according to reports from Daily NK.
This research center is reportedly planning to run “around the clock” to respond immediately to real -time information from North Korean intelligence agencies.
“At the end of February, the top commander issued an order to RGB under the General Staff Department to improve Overseas Wrigure Wrigure Features. This order included instructions to establish Research Center 227 for Hacking Technology Research” A source told told told Daily NK.
Sustained operations
The research center is likely to be focused on “strengthening hacking capabilities” and developing hacking technologies and programs to neutralize Western cyber security systems and critical infrastructure.
These offensives will primarily aim to steal information and interfere with the opponent’s computer network.
The center will reportedly recruit about 90 computer experts and candidates from high-profile university and doctorate programs, the source confirmed;
“These are not cyber warriors who directly perform information war tasks in foreign places, but internal research staff developing offensive programs. With the establishment of Research Center 227, RGB’s cyber operations will be significantly strengthened in the future.”
Cyber operations in North Korea have been increasingly launched in recent times, especially from the notorious Lazarus group, which has been observed scattered malware through various major attacks and deployment of infosteals to obtain credentials from Western organizations.
In particular, North Korean hackers have run the ‘Contagious Interview’ campaign with fake interviews or job ads asking the victims to download malware disguised as a video conference software.
Also included in this campaign are a number of cyber criminals who fake their identities for taking software tasks, probably to access critical service systems and information from large Western companies or other fraudulent behavior.
