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CNN.com - N. Korean training hackers, Seoul says - May. 16, 2003
by Rattle at 6:08 pm EDT, May 16, 2003 |
] North Korea is training around 100 computer hackers each
] year to boost its cyber-warfare capabilities, pushing the
] South to fortify its own computer security, a South
] Korean military official said on Friday. The main reason this seems offbase to me is the "100 hackers each year" thing. I have a feeling tracking down 100 computers in North Korea is a hell of a challenge, let alone 100 hax0rs with clue. Not to mention a decent net connection for them to search out tools over, keep up to date on discovered sploits, etc.. The thing that is going to make a cracker a danger isn't a set selection of skills that the other 99 also have, but rather the ability to think on their feet and learn on the fly.. That takes time and experience. I see this situation being very hard to cultivate, as it would require their cracker-corps to be constantally working on their skills, finding new sploits, etc.. It would require access to many of the devices/software they are interested in hacking, which is going to be nearly impossible for them.. I immagine the resources for this all are very slim.. That number also leads to believe that their intent is not to have their hacker-corps working out of North Korea, but rather send them out of the country and have them work elsewhere. North Korea proper would likely be very easy to cut off from the rest of the world in the event of a conflict, rendering their hacker teams useless.. They would have to be stationed in many places outside North Korea to be useful. Now, if North Korea had crackers spread out all over the globe, working toegether to form some l33t North Korea cracker-corps, this might be logical.. Otherwise, its very unlikely to exist, or be a real danger. Of course, that also implies that North Korea has their shit together, something I don't think is likely. Its more likely that they have 100 people in North Korea who are being called "hackers" and being "trained on hacking", even though most of them have never actually used a real computer for more then 5 min. This is probably another case of North Korea trying to give the impression to South Korea (and everyone else) it is more dangerous then it actually is.. They have 4 skilled and loyal hax0r kiddies, and somehow it became "100 every year".. Don't they have 300 nukes aimed at the US right now? Heh. Two or three maybe. (And more on the way, but that's another story..) There is also another option.. North Korea has zero to do with this, and South Korea is just trying too pump up some fear in order to get its people to take computer security more seriously.. Slammer did really take them for a spin. They have reason to be concerned. |
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RE: CNN.com - N. Korean training hackers, Seoul says - May. 16, 2003
by Jeremy at 8:52 pm EDT, May 16, 2003 |
Rattle wrote:
] ] North Korea is training around 100 computer hackers ...
] The main reason this seems offbase to me ... I don't see why you're so quick to discount their capabilities. Your basic hacking 101 isn't exactly rocket science. If they can build ballistic missiles and operate nuclear reactors, I think they can handle a little hacking. It takes very little actual skill to wreak lots of havoc. Elite skill is what enables the hacker to accomplish the mission without wreaking havoc. It's not clear they are claiming to have elite skill just yet. I find it hard to believe the government can't afford computers when a capable PC can be had for $100. Internet access via satellite phone (Iridium or any of numerous others) is globally available and requires zero local infrastructure. Once you're on the 'net (in a nutshell): $ wget -r freshmeat.net
$ splint * I am willing to bet that you'll find plenty to work with. |
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RE: CNN.com - N. Korean training hackers, Seoul says - May. 16, 2003
by Rattle at 5:54 am EDT, May 17, 2003 |
Jeremy wrote:
] I don't see why you're so quick to discount their
] capabilities. Maybe I am being quick to discount their capabilities.. shrug. I just think its more likely that South Korea is doing this to encourage concern about computer security. And I will stick to the point that a North Korea based hacking force is next to useless. 100 skilled hackers _inside_ the country is going to get you nowhere. 100 skilled hackers outside the country, thats another story.. ] Your basic hacking 101 isn't exactly rocket science. If they
] can build ballistic missiles and operate nuclear reactors, I
] think they can handle a little hacking. It takes very little
] actual skill to wreak lots of havoc. Elite skill is what
] enables the hacker to accomplish the mission without
] wreaking havoc. It's not clear they are claiming to have
] elite skill just yet. True.. Overall, worms/virii are the most damaging things, and they do not take mad skills or large amounts of resources to create and deploy. It also does not take a force of 100 hackers a year to create these things.. It takes a few mildly skilled individuals. The numbers stated just really lead me to believe that this is bullshit.. It just dosen't make sense..
] I find it hard to believe the government can't afford
] computers when a capable PC can be had for $100. Internet
] access via satellite phone (Iridium or any of numerous others)
] is globally available and requires zero local infrastructure. Its not cost, its availability.. I remember a few years ago Kim's son getting turned away from a visit to JP with a forged passport, that he claimed was to visit Tokyo Disney, when it was widely believed that he was going to purchase computer gear. No one will export it to them. Kim's son is behind North Korea's IT education program, but it appears he needs to go on clandestine missions out of the country just to get a few PCs.. Recently they showed up at the Comdex in Bejing to show off their warez, which consisted of a webpage. Of course, they had claimed to have everything from translation software to AI beforehand.. Samgsung has a software lab in town, which sounds more like a token gesture then anything else.. There is a Canadian chairity that has opened a computer lab. Thats about the only stuff that shows up when you start Googling around for "North Korea computer".. Other then how Kim is really proud of the three computers he owns and his high speed net connection to China, which he uses to browse the Internet for at least two hours every day.. And how could I forget the "Computer Fatigue" softdrink! They really reek the impression that they are totally ass backward. Of course, the information I'm basing my opinions off of could be wrong.. You see a number of articles that say things like "North Korea to be future IT powerhouse", but there is nothing to ... [ Read More (0.1k in body) ] |
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CNN.com - N. Korean training hackers, Seoul says - May. 16, 2003
by Decius at 11:57 am EDT, May 16, 2003 |
] North Korea is training around 100 computer hackers each
] year to boost its cyber-warfare capabilities, pushing the
] South to fortify its own computer security, a South
] Korean military official said on Friday. hrm... |
There is a redundant post from Jimmy not displayed in this view.
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