US charges North Korean man linked to Sony hack and WannaCry

The US Treasury Department announced today that it has sanctioned one individual and one group connected to malicious cyber activities perpetuated by North Korea's government. Park Jin Hyok, a computer programmer, was sanctioned today along with Korea Expo Joint Venture, an agency he allegedly worked for. The Treasury Department claims Hyok is part of a conspiracy responsible for the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist and last year's WannaCry ransomware attack. The Department of Justice also confirmed to reporters that it has charged Hyok with extortion, wire fraud and hacking crimes, according to Motherboard.

"We will not allow North Korea to undermine global cybersecurity to advance its interests and generate illicit revenues in violation of our sanctions," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "The United States is committed to holding the regime accountable for its cyberattacks and other crimes and destabilizing activities."

WannaCry affected hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries last year and the Sony Pictures hack resulted in leaked films, scripts, employee information, internal emails and company passwords. It also led to the cancelled release of the film The Interview. In 2016, hackers breached the Bangladesh Bank's servers and made off with $81 million.

The DOJ unsealed a criminal complaint against Hyok today that alleges he was involved in a number of other cyberattacks that targeted South Korean figures and Lockheed Martin.

Source: US Treasury Department



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