US accuses North Korean ‘spy’ of costly cyber attack on NHS

THE US has accused an alleged North Korean spy of being responsible for last year’s devastating cyber attack that crippled NHS computers, as well as a hack on Sony in 2014.

The Justice Department announced the charges against Park Jin Hyok yesterday. North Korea is widely accused of being behind the Wannacry attack that infected NHS computer systems and saw thousands of appointments and hundreds of operations cancelled in May of last year.

The attack, which locked computer systems until its victim paid a ransom in Bitcoin, affected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world and caused millions of pounds in damages. The attack on Sony, in retaliation for its film The Interview, which mocked Kim Jong-un, exposed company records and emails between celebrities as well as freezing its computer systems. The US introduced sanctions against North Korea in the wake of the Sony hack.

A 179-page criminal complaint issued yesterday said Mr Park, accused of computer fraud and wire fraud, had worked in China between 2011 and 2013 before returning to North Korea.

It said North Korean hackers had targeted Lockheed Martin, the US defence giant, and Mammoth Screen, a British TV production company that was producing a drama set in North Korea.

“This was one of the most complex and longest cyber investigations the department has taken,” said John Demers, the assistant attorney general for national security.

In tandem with the Justice Department, the US Treasury announced sanctions against Mr Park and the Chosun Expo Joint Venture company, his employer.