ISLAMABAD: An elite group of North Korean hackers secretly breached computer networks at a leading Russian missile developer for at least 5 months in 2022.
According to a leading US media outlet, the North Korean hackers groups ScarCruft and Lazarus are linked to the Pyongyang government, and these teams secretly installed stealthy digital backdoors into the computer systems of NPO Mashinostroyeniya, a rocket design center based in Reutov, on the outskirts of Moscow.
In the months following the digital espionage, North Korea announced several developments in its ballistic missile program. However, it is not clear if this was related to this breach.
Russian Defense Minister’s Visit
Reports of the hack come shortly after the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to Pyongyang in July for the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. It was the first trip by a Russian defense minister to the country since the Soviet Union breakup in 1991.
The targeted firm, known as NPO Mash, has served as a pioneer developer of satellite technologies, hypersonic missiles, and latest-generation ballistic armaments. These are three areas of deep interest to Pyongyang since it started its mission to build an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile capable of attacking the mainland US.
The espionage roughly started in late 2021 and continued until May last year when IT engineers detected the hackers’ activity.
NPO Mash grew to fame during the Cold War as a major satellite maker for Russia’s space program and as a provider of cruise missiles.
The hackers accessed the company’s IT environment, enabling them to read email traffic, extract data, and jump between networks.
