North Korean cybercriminals are turning to artificial intelligence to help Pyongyang steal cutting-edge technologies and secure funds for its illicit nuclear weapons program.
Hackers have long targeted employees of defense, cybersecurity and cryptocurrency companies, tricking users on LinkedIn and other networking platforms into revealing sensitive information or giving access to computer networks or cryptocurrency wallets.
Their most notorious operations include the theft of $951 million from Bangladesh’s central bank and the WannaCry ransomware attack on the UK’s National Health Service in 2017.
They use ChatGPT
ChatGPT creator OpenAI and Microsoft investor confirmed last week that hackers working on behalf of North Korea, as well as China, Russia and Iran, were using the company’s AI services “to support malicious cyber activities ».
South Korea had previously detected North Korean hackers using genetic artificial intelligence to target security officials, a South Korean intelligence official told the Financial Times. “We are closely monitoring North Korea’s related moves while keeping in mind the possibility that North Korea may misuse genetic artificial intelligence,” the official added.
Of the 1.62 million hacking attempts made against South Korean companies and public bodies last year, more than 80% have been traced to North Korea, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.
However, Pyongyang’s phishing and social engineering operations have often been undermined by North Korean hackers’ poor understanding of the colloquial English or Korean needed to gain the trust of their targets.
Genetic AI presents a formidable new challenge
The North Koreans’ adoption of genetic AI posed a formidable new challenge, Erin Plante, vice president of research at blockchain data platform Chainalysis, told the FT.
“North Korean hacking groups have been observed creating credible profiles on professional networking sites such as LinkedIn,” Plante said. “Genetic AI helps with chatting, messaging, creating images and new identities – all the things you need to create that intimate relationship with your target.”
“Attacks are getting very sophisticated — we’re not talking about a nasty email that says ‘click this link,'” Plante said. “These are detailed profiles on LinkedIn and other social media platforms that they use to build relationships over weeks and months.”
Shreyas Reddy, an analyst at Seoul-based intelligence firm NK Pro, told the FT that while LinkedIn was a “particularly useful hunting ground” for fake North Korean recruiters, “they also use other platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram and Discord to target phishing victims.”
Reddy said AI services like ChatGPT could also help the North Koreans develop more sophisticated forms of malware.
“There are safeguards on these services to prevent them from being used for malicious purposes, but people have been able to bypass them,” Reddy said, noting that North Koreans also benefit from access to Chinese AI services.
Pyongyang has spent decades building its cyber capabilities
According to a UN panel of experts monitoring the implementation of international sanctions, money raised from North Korea’s criminal cyber operations helps fund the country’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
Hyuk Kim, a researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, notes that North Korean researchers have published hundreds of AI-related studies over the past two decades. North Korea established an Artificial Intelligence Research Institute in 2013, and several North Korean universities have introduced programs focused on artificial intelligence.
Academic papers published in North Korean scientific journals, several of which were co-authored with Chinese scholars linked to Chinese military institutions, give insight into Pyongyang’s thinking regarding possible future applications for artificial intelligence programs.
In a 2022 paper, North Korean scholars refer to a study investigating the use of a machine learning method called “reinforcement learning” in a simulated war game. Another paper examines how a different machine learning technique could help safely operate a large nuclear reactor.
“As far as we can tell, the sophistication of North Korean artificial intelligence systems is still embryonic,” Kim said. “But it’s also possible that they just don’t want to reveal their potential.”
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