U.S. sanctions North Korean hacker for crimes benefitting Kim Jong Un's arms programs
July 8 (UPI) -- The federal government has sanctioned alleged North Korean hacker Song Kum Hyok for illegal activities related to his participation in the Andariel hacking group.
Song has participated in malicious cyber activities, including an illicit information technology worker scheme and an attempted hack of the Department of Treasury, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce announced on Tuesday.
North Korea "deploys IT workers who obfuscate their identities, often through identity theft of U.S. persons, to fraudulently obtain employment at unwitting foreign firms," Bruce said.
"The North Korea regime uses revenue generated by these workers to support its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."
Treasury Department Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said the sanctions affirm the importance of staying vigilant of North Korea's efforts to illicitly fund its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
"Treasury remains committed to using all available tools to disrupt the Kim regime's efforts to circumvent sanctions through its digital asset theft, attempted impersonation of Americans and malicious cyber attacks," Faulkender said.
The State Department also announced sanctions on Russia-based facilitator Gayk Asatryan, two Russian entities and two North Korean entities that deploy cyber actors to generate revenue for North Korea through hacking activities and other cyber crimes.
"Today's sanctions are part of the U.S. government's effort to combat North Korean cyber espionage and revenue generation," Bruce said. "We will continue to take action against malicious cyber actors who attempt to undermine U.S. national security or the U.S. financial sector."
The State Department also announced it will pay a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identity or location of anyone who violates the U.S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act at the direction of a foreign government.
The State Department's Rewards for Justice program also will pay up to $5 million for information that enables the disruption of finances for those who help the North Korean government export workers to generate revenue.
The United States in July indicted North Korean hacker Rim Jong Hyok and offered a $10 million reward for information about him for allegedly working on behalf of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau.
He is accused of conspiring to "hack and extort U.S. hospitals and other healthcare providers, launder the ransom proceeds and then use these proceeds to fund additional computer intrusions," the Department of Justice said in a statement.
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