According to former NSA Director Paul Nakasone, North Korea’s cyber operations are becoming a key revenue stream for the regime, with ransomware attacks alone potentially generating up to 25% of the country’s GDP. In a recent interview in Tokyo, reported by The Asahi Shimbun, Nakasone discussed the extent of North Korea’s cybercriminal activities, underscoring how ransomware attacks have become a specialty for the isolated state.
The UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee previously reported that between 2017 and 2023, North Korea acquired approximately US$3 billion through cyber theft, including cryptocurrency heists. Experts believe these funds are being funneled into the country’s nuclear weapons program as North Korea faces stringent international sanctions.
Nakasone also warned that if North Korean troops were to join Russian forces in Ukraine, it could lead to even closer cooperation between the two nations, potentially extending to joint cyber operations.
He confirmed details about a Washington Post report from August 2023, which revealed that Chinese military hackers had infiltrated Japan’s defense networks in 2020, exposing sensitive security data. While Nakasone didn’t share specifics, he acknowledged that he visited Japan under orders from then-President Trump to brief top Japanese officials on the breach.
Nakasone served as NSA Director and U.S. Cyber Command Chief from May 2018, when Donald Trump’s first cabinet was formed, until his retirement in February 2024.
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