ID :
95636
Fri, 12/18/2009 - 18:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/95636
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea probing N. Korea`s alleged hacking into war plan: official
By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is probing suspicions that North Korean
hackers extracted details of a classified joint South Korean-U.S. war plan
designed to deal with possible aggression by the communist state, a defense
official in Seoul said Friday.
The suspected breach occurred late last month via an Internet Protocol address
registered in China, a route North Korea is believed to use when collecting
computer files from foreign networks, the official at the Ministry of National
Defense said.
A South Korean officer has been reprimanded after he used an unsecured portable
storage device to transfer the file explaining Operational Plan 5027 to a wired
computer, said the official, who requested anonymity citing the sensitivity of
the issue.
"The file did not contain the nuts and bolts of the plan, but we're continuing
with our probe because we haven't ruled out the possibility that other files were
tampered with," he said.
OPLAN 5027, crafted jointly by South Korea and the U.S., allows for the dispatch
of nearly 700,000 U.S. troops to the Korean Peninsula should a full-fledged
conflict arise here.
It also sets out wartime operational guidelines for the troops of the two
countries. South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea after the
1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
The U.S., which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, is working with the
ally to adopt a new plan that better accounts for instabilities in North Korea,
including nuclear-related ones.
No palpable details concerning North Korea's hacking unit have come to light, but
South Korea believes the North has military personnel that specialize in overseas
hacking.
When the Web sites of major U.S. and South Korean government agencies sustained
attacks in July, officials here pointed to North Korea as a highly likely
suspect.
The attacks hastened South Korea's plan to launch a command dedicated to
preparing the military for cyber warfare, which will be set up on Jan. 1.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is probing suspicions that North Korean
hackers extracted details of a classified joint South Korean-U.S. war plan
designed to deal with possible aggression by the communist state, a defense
official in Seoul said Friday.
The suspected breach occurred late last month via an Internet Protocol address
registered in China, a route North Korea is believed to use when collecting
computer files from foreign networks, the official at the Ministry of National
Defense said.
A South Korean officer has been reprimanded after he used an unsecured portable
storage device to transfer the file explaining Operational Plan 5027 to a wired
computer, said the official, who requested anonymity citing the sensitivity of
the issue.
"The file did not contain the nuts and bolts of the plan, but we're continuing
with our probe because we haven't ruled out the possibility that other files were
tampered with," he said.
OPLAN 5027, crafted jointly by South Korea and the U.S., allows for the dispatch
of nearly 700,000 U.S. troops to the Korean Peninsula should a full-fledged
conflict arise here.
It also sets out wartime operational guidelines for the troops of the two
countries. South Korea remains technically at war with North Korea after the
1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce.
The U.S., which has 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, is working with the
ally to adopt a new plan that better accounts for instabilities in North Korea,
including nuclear-related ones.
No palpable details concerning North Korea's hacking unit have come to light, but
South Korea believes the North has military personnel that specialize in overseas
hacking.
When the Web sites of major U.S. and South Korean government agencies sustained
attacks in July, officials here pointed to North Korea as a highly likely
suspect.
The attacks hastened South Korea's plan to launch a command dedicated to
preparing the military for cyber warfare, which will be set up on Jan. 1.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
