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The US government accused and punished a North Korean man on Thursday for the global cyberattack against WannaCry ransomware in 2017 and the 2014 bombing of Sony, US officials said.
The charges, as part of a US government strategy to deter future cyber attacks by naming and criticizing alleged perpetrators, also claimed that the North Korean hacker had entered the central bank of Bangladesh in 2016, according to a criminal complaint.
Park Jin Hyok worked as part of a team of hackers, also known as the Lazarus Group, to try to rape several other US companies, according to the complaint. In 2016 and 2017, Park's objectives included Lockheed Martin Corp.'s defense contractor. The complaint indicated that there was no evidence of violation by Lockheed.
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Park and the China-based parent company he was working for, Chosun Expo.
The North Korean Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In 2014, US officials said that unidentified North Korean hackers were responsible for a major computer intrusion into Sony, which resulted in the leakage of internal documents and the destruction of data.
The attacks took place after Pyongyang sent a letter to the United Nations, demanding that Sony not pursue the film "The interview" that portrays the US-backed assassination of a character resembling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Park has used a series of online personas for social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, to send malicious links to people involved in producing "The Interview," the complaint said. The malicious links carried malicious software controlled by North Korea.
In November 2014, Park reportedly launched a similar social media attack against CMA theater employees. In some cases, the movie theater has delayed or canceled screenings of "The Interview" across the country, reports Variety at the time. The complaint indicated that there was no evidence that AMC theaters had been violated.
Last year, the WannaCry ransomware attack touched thousands of businesses around the world through a computer virus that was encrypting files on affected systems, including the British National Health Service, where Non-functional computer systems have forced the cancellation of thousands of appointments.
John Demers, Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division, said Thursday that it was the first time that the US Department of Justice officially accused a hacker of cybercrimes "sponsored" by the North Korean government .
"The department has accused, arrested, and imprisoned hackers working for the Chinese, Russian, and Iranian governments, and today we are adding the North Korean regime to our list, frankly completing four of our major opponents in cyberspace. "
A senior official at the Justice Department said that a criminal investigation of Park and his accomplices was still ongoing. There has been no communication between the US government and the North Korean government about a possible extradition, the official said.
No representative of the North Korean government was cited in the complaint by his name, but he claims that the government sponsored these attacks.
The suit was filed under seal on June 8, just days before a historic summit in Singapore between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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