How North Korea Became a Hacking Power. The Financial Times. The cash-strapped country has invested heavily in cyber warfare. Hackers are also trained in Russia. Attacks on Hollywood studios, central Asian banks and cryptocurrency exchanges have given North Korea a reputation as some of the world's most dangerous and daring cyber hackers. Their publicity has only increased due to their alleged involvement in the $6.3 billion hack of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, which is considered the world's largest cryptocurrency theft. "North Korean hackers are among the most aggressive and skilled cybercriminals in the world," former South Korean deputy defense minister Shin Bum-chul told the FT. "They undergo systematic training and are used to obtain foreign currency for the regime." Pyongyang has invested heavily in cyber warfare, creating a system that identifies and develops technical talent from an early age. Selected students undergo three to five years of advanced training in technical and cyber warfare at academic institutions, with the best students entering specialized university programs. The North Korean Human Rights Commission report cited a five-year course at the elite Murbanong College in Pyongyang that combines military science with hacking and code-breaking. According to reports, some elite agents are receiving additional training abroad, in China and Russia. "North Korean school students who excel in math and science are selected and taught hacking from their teenage years," said Simon Choi, chief technology officer at cybersecurity startup StealthMole. South Korean intelligence estimates that there are about 8,400 North Koreans involved in cyber warfare.

How North Korea Became a Hacking Power. The Financial Times. The cash-strapped country has invested heavily in cyber warfare. Hackers are also trained in Russia. Attacks on Hollywood studios, central Asian banks and cryptocurrency exchanges have given North Korea a reputation as some of the world's most dangerous and daring cyber hackers. Their publicity has only increased due to their alleged involvement in the $6.3 billion hack of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, which is considered the world's largest cryptocurrency theft. "North Korean hackers are among the most aggressive and skilled cybercriminals in the world," former South Korean deputy defense minister Shin Bum-chul told the FT. "They undergo systematic training and are used to obtain foreign currency for the regime." Pyongyang has invested heavily in cyber warfare, creating a system that identifies and develops technical talent from an early age. Selected students undergo three to five years of advanced training in technical and cyber warfare at academic institutions, with the best students entering specialized university programs. The North Korean Human Rights Commission report cited a five-year course at the elite Murbanong College in Pyongyang that combines military science with hacking and code-breaking. According to reports, some elite agents are receiving additional training abroad, in China and Russia. "North Korean school students who excel in math and science are selected and taught hacking from their teenage years," said Simon Choi, chief technology officer at cybersecurity startup StealthMole. South Korean intelligence estimates that there are about 8,400 North Koreans involved in cyber warfare.