North Korean hackers exploit VPN bug to gain access to South Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute

North Korean hackers broke their way into the IT systems of the South Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), according to a statement issued by the government-funded organisation.

The hack, which was initially denied by KAERI, took place last month on May 14, exploiting a vulnerability in the unnamed VPN system used by the research institute.

KAERI says that it has since applied a security update to its VPN system and blocked IP addresses used in the attack, including one that had been previously associated with attacks from North Korean hackers.

Earlier this month, experts at security vendor Malwarebytes published a report about how a number of South Korean government agencies – and the International Atomic Energy Agency – had been targeted with spearphishing attacks by the North Korean hacking group known as Kimsuky (also known as Black Banshee, Velvet Chollima, and Thallium.)

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "Smashing Security" podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Threads, Bluesky, or drop him an email.