S. Korea Claims N. Korea Has Trained 600 Crackers

maggeth writes "The Financial Times is reporting that North Korea's military and intel services have trained as many as 600 computer hackers specifically for attacks against South Korea, Japan, and the US. South Korea claims that the north has a five-year university program for hacker training and cites recent attacks on government computer systems. The South Korean defense ministry claimed in the report that 'North Korea's intelligence warfare capability is estimated to have reached the level of advanced countries,' and that the caliber of the North's hackers is high. So far it appears that these specific attacks are based in China, although it is not clear if North Korea is using Chinese networks or if China is involved."

Comments

In other news...

[Anonymous Coward]

South Korea has started training cookies to counter the NK threat.

Huh?

[shutdown -p now]

Crackers? You mean, the guys sit there and undermine US economy by cracking and distributing warez?

which is better

[rock_climbing_guy]

Which is better:

A: to be able to have a hundred or so crackers attack a web site at your demand or

B: to be able to publish an article linking to them and therefore slashdot their communications into oblivion?

Re:If true, the stakes are now higher.

[Anonymous Coward]

North korea may have 600 highly trained crackers, but we have slashdot, and the power of FIFTY THOUSAND CLICKS per link. If that can't bring an entire country down within a few days, nothing will.

Poor guys

[mkro]

They will be SO dissapointed when they discover that the rest of the world has upgraded from Win95, and winnuke.exe does not work anymore.

S. Korea Claims N. Korea Has Trained 600 Crackers

[Shinglor]

I'll take this story with a grain of salt :)

Re:Interesting...

[ArcticCelt]

"The normal people are so food-deprived, there are claims of cannibalism in the North."

If I was called a "cracker" I would be kind of worried about what you just said!

Dear N.Korea

[tod_miller]

One of thier applicants that only *just* made it through:

(mildly edited for 14mn3ss filterz_)

i would ;liock to join youre 733t gorup oF computer lAmErZ 4nd do 733T thins liek scrpit \/irusez and talk to chiX0rs uin funjny ways!!!! MY MUN SAYS IT IS OK, AND CAN I ALS0 SEUR NETWROK TO DONW7OAD NAUGHTY MOVEIS,, tnx b ill

courtesy of http://rinkworks.com/dialect/

Original [interesting]:

I would like to join your elite group of computer people and do elite things like script viruses and talk to girls in funny ways. My mum says it is ok, and can I also use your network to download naughty movies.

thanks

bill

Yawn.

[salvorHardin]

Reminds me of a similar thing in NTK a while back.

> DISABLE ECONOMY
> You cannot do that here.
> EXAMINE CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE
> Access Denied.
> HIT ECONOMY WITH STICK

and then it happens

[Konster]

If they start hacking us, we will cut their phone line, this rendering their sole 300-baud modem useless.

This just in...

[MachDelta]

AOL is now being formally recognized by world governments as a modern military superpower. Claiming to have a lineup of over 10,000 highly trained "leet hackers", AOL claims it has enough digital firepower to "out-haxx0r" any country on the planet. Tensions are sure to rise among world leaders as they take action in this suprising turn of events.
When reached for comment, George W. Bush was quoted as saying "Well gee them AOL folks rilly seemed nice, what with sendin out em free CDs 'n such, but I guesses, I mean I supposes if they was rilly just a new kinda technuh... technuh... nucular, uh, nucular-logical warfare device - yi'see like a weppin o' mass destrucshun 'n such - then I spozes we're gonna hav'ta bomb the livin daylights outta em varmints."

Elsewhere in the world, France has surrendered and is to be re-named "LOLOLOLOLOLOMG111`". When asked how the newly conquored country would be managed, AOL spokespersons simply pointed out that a small council would be appointed, comprised of the following individuals: :D, ;), ^_^, :P, :X, and o_O.


More news as it unfolds.

Re:If true, the stakes are now higher.

[mirko]

600 crackers for almost 23 million persons ?
I understand why they say they are starving !

Re:If true, the stakes are now higher.

[chrish]

Unfortunately, they've only been able to buy six Internet-able computers and three acoustic-coupler modems due to Kim Jong-Il's awesome management skills.

In A.D. 2004 War was beginning

[Jakhel]

UN: What happen ?
South Korea: Somebody set up us the bomb.
South Korea: We get signal.
South Korea: What !
UN: Main screen turn on.
South Korea: It's You !!
North Korea: How are you gentlemen !!
North Korea: All your base are belong to us.
North Korea: You are on the way to destruction.
South Korea: What you say !!
North Korea: You have no chance to survive make your time.
North Korea: HA HA HA HA ....

Re:If true, the stakes are now higher.

[glesga_kiss]

North korea may have 600 highly trained crackers

So? I'm sure the NSA and GCHQ have their own highly trained crackers. What exactly is the point of this article? It kinda points out the obvious, something that has been true for many years. Electronic warfare has existed since the invention of the radio jammer. The extension to this onto the net is inevitable.

The question is, should we invade? Do the have any oil?