Cyber attacks charge is ridiculous, North Korea says

Two data security firms traced some code in an earlier version of WannaCry to programs used by a Pyongyang-run hacking operation

North Korea’s deputy United Nations envoy said on Friday that “it is ridiculous” to link Pyongyang with the WannaCry “ransomware” cyber attack that started to sweep around the globe a week ago or the hacking of a UN expert monitoring sanctions violations.

WannaCry has infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 nations. The malware threatens to lock out victims who have not paid a ransom within infection.

“Relating to the cyber attack, linking to the DPRK, it is ridiculous,” North Korea’s deputy UN ambassador Kim In-ryong told a news conference when asked if Pyongyang was involved in the global WannaCry attack or the UN hack.

North Korea is also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

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“Whenever something strange happens, it is the stereotype way of the United States and the hostile forces that kick off noisy anti-DPRK campaign deliberately linking with DPRK,” Kim said.

Symantec and Kaspersky Lab said on Monday that some code in an earlier version of the WannaCry software had also appeared in programs used by the Lazarus Group, which researchers from many companies have identified as a North Korea-run hacking operation.

A spokesperson for the Italian mission to the UN, which chairs the UN Security Council North Korea sanctions committee, said on Friday that a member of the UN panel of experts who monitor sanctions violations had been hacked.

The UN Security Council first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 and has strengthened the measures in response to the country’s five nuclear tests and two long-range rocket launches. Pyongyang is threatening a sixth nuclear test.