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South Korean police are warning that downloadable games might contain North Korean malware. It's believed these could be part of a cyber attack.


According to The Wall Street Journal, South Korea's National Police Agency made the warning after it nabbed a citizen for illegally trafficking in North Korean developed online games. A North Korean hacker, the WSJ reports, had passed himself off as a game developer and offered to develop the games at a cheaper price.

The games, however, contained malware that collected IP addresses, which could be transmitted for DDOS attacks. This past summer, South Korean government sites and media organizations were knocked offline in a spate of attacks. South Korea blamed Pyongyang, but North Korean denied any wrongdoing.


This isn't the first time North Korea has been accused of trying to launch attacks through computer games. I'm guessing it won't be the last, either!

"Online gaming programs—along with porn materials—are easy tools for North Korean hackers to choose because they are always available to the public," said a South Korean police official.

The South Korean businessman who hired the North Korean was arrested and the games were taken into police custody before they could spread online.


Seoul Warns of Malware in Game Downloads [WSJ]

Photo: KCNA

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