Revenge is a dish best served cold. A year after being the target of North Korean hackers, an American by the name of “P4x” attacked the Internet network of North Korea.
According to the revelations of Wired magazine, this independent hacker has put many websites out of use, including that of the country’s main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the airline Air Koryo.
This action would be in retaliation for an attack by North Korean hackers that “P4x” itself allegedly suffered in 2021, during an operation targeting American computer security professionals.
“the right thing to do”
Faced with the lack of reaction from his government, the hacker decided to respond to the attack himself. “I felt it was the right thing to do. If they don’t see that we have teeth, it will continue. I want them to understand that if they come after us, that means part of their infrastructure is going to be down for a while,” he told Wired.
In North Korea, the Internet network is extremely restricted and reserved for an elite. There are a thousand IP addresses for some 25 million inhabitants, according to RFI.
The country has specialized in cyberattacks, an activity that represents a real financial windfall for the Kim Jong-un regime. In 2021 alone, North Korean hackers, often based in China, would have won more than 350 million euros in the form of cryptocurrencies.
