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In North Korea, Hackers Are a Handpicked, Pampered Elite
HughPickens.com writes: Ju-Min Park and James Pearson report at Reuters that despite its poverty and isolation, North Korea has poured resources into a sophisticated cyber-warfare cell called Bureau 121, staffed by some of the most talented, and rewarded, people in North Korea, handpicked and trained from as young as 17. "They are handpicked," says Kim Heung-kwang, a former computer science professor in North Korea who defected to the South in 2004. "It is a great honor for them. It is a white-collar job there and people have fantasies about it." The hackers in Bureau 121 were among the 100 students who graduate from the University of Automation each year after five years of study. Over 2,500 apply for places at the university, which has a campus in Pyongyang, behind barbed wire.
According to Jang Se-yul, who studied with them at North Korea's military college for computer science, the Bureau 121 unit comprises about 1,800 cyber-warriors, and is considered the elite of the military. As well as having salaries far above the country's average, they are often gifted with good food, luxuries and even apartments. According to John Griasafi, this kind of treatment could be expected for those working in the elite Bureau. "You'd have to be pretty special and well trusted to even be allowed on email in North Korea so I have no doubt that they are treated well too." Pyongyang has active cyber-warfare capabilities, military and software security experts have said. In 2013, tens of thousands of computers were made to malfunction, disrupting work at banks and television broadcasters in South Korea. "In North Korea, it's called the Secret War," says Jang.
According to Jang Se-yul, who studied with them at North Korea's military college for computer science, the Bureau 121 unit comprises about 1,800 cyber-warriors, and is considered the elite of the military. As well as having salaries far above the country's average, they are often gifted with good food, luxuries and even apartments. According to John Griasafi, this kind of treatment could be expected for those working in the elite Bureau. "You'd have to be pretty special and well trusted to even be allowed on email in North Korea so I have no doubt that they are treated well too." Pyongyang has active cyber-warfare capabilities, military and software security experts have said. In 2013, tens of thousands of computers were made to malfunction, disrupting work at banks and television broadcasters in South Korea. "In North Korea, it's called the Secret War," says Jang.
>> In North Korea, Hackers Are a Handpicked, Pampered Elite
Which means $3K/year, 1600 calories a day?
what a life, man.
When you are an oppressed society like this, or communist in general, it is in your interest, and the benefit of your family, to work hard to make Dear Leader's country look good on an international stage.
The Eastern Bloc countries and the Soviet Union used to let Olympic athletes keep goodies from the West, like radios and blue jeans. If they brought home gold, especially in premier events like women's figure skating or pairs, that meant massively upgraded family apartments assigned to you, or even a resort dachau, like the higher ups get.
Can you imagine the hellish pressure on such young people?
This was a perverse aping of capitalism, but without any real economcic freedom.
There is a lot more to freedom than freedom of speech, if concern for the general welfare is your shining ideal. Give up on command and control.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
1) Big win for South Korean IT departments - You can always blame any failures/problems on the elite North Korean hackers !
2) Big win for US security firms selling all kinds of 'Cyber Warfare' defence systems.
3) Just as likely to be bullshit propaganda (see point 1 and 2).
Time travel is possible. We are quickly heading for 1984.
Read that as University Of Automatons?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
And free movies!
I don't see neckbeards in any of the approved styles, so I don't see how they can actually be elite.
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/...
they are often gifted with good food, luxuries and even apartments...
...because it's a nice change from the prison camps.
What this world is coming to - is for you and me to decide.
I hear it's a gas, but be decisive - once you've made a bookingwald it's difficult to auswitch.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Only the elite get food, water and power much less internet access.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
So 1,800 "cyber-warriors" crash 48,000 machines. Or ... each "cyber-warrior" crashes 27 machines. Yeah. Big threat there.
And crashing 48,000 machines? What is "elite" about that?
This sounds less like "a sophisticated cyber-warfare cell" and more like a few script-kiddies. If you want to cause damage then you search for Excel files and you make a few, random changes to the numbers. Do the same with any database files you can find.
And, lastly, you NEVER crash a machine. You want to maintain control for as long as possible.
So, yeah, it reads like bullshit propaganda. It probably is.
I hear it's a gas, but be decisive - once you've made a bookingwald it's difficult to auswitch.
Jew makin some horrible puns. Anne Frank-ly, I don't appreciate them.
one would not exhibit paranoia to wonder what conference calls decide what is going on in the 'news'. You can't control all of it, and the web helps, but I feel tossed between Vlad, mujhadeen, and impending enviro doom. Sadly, the last one is real. Add some appeal to consumerism, a dash of fox paranoia, and stir.