The United States has imposed sanctions on several individuals and entities involved in malicious cyber activities, including a North Korean cyber actor associated with the U.S.-designated North Korea hacking group Andariel.
Target of Sanctions: Song Kum Hyok and Others
The Department of the Treasury’s actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended; E.O. 13722; and E.O. 13810. The targets of the sanctions include Song Kum Hyok, a North Korean cyber actor involved in malicious cyber-enabled activities, including an illicit information technology (IT) worker scheme. He is also linked to an attempted hack of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Furthermore, the United States is imposing sanctions on Gayk Asatryan, a Russia-based facilitator, and four entities – two Russian and two North Korean – all involved in deploying IT workers internationally to generate revenue for the North Korean government.
The Nature of the Threat
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea deploys IT workers who obfuscate their identities, often through identity theft of U.S. persons, to fraudulently obtain employment at unwitting foreign firms. The North Korea regime uses revenue generated by these workers to support its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
Today’s sanctions are part of the U.S. government’s efforts to combat North Korean cyber espionage and revenue generation. The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program (RFJ) is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Additional Measures
RFJ is also offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the disruption of financial mechanisms of persons engaged in certain activities that support North Korea, including the exportation of its workers to generate revenue.
The United States will continue to take action against malicious cyber actors who attempt to undermine U.S. national security or the U.S. financial sector.
Resources for More Information
on the Department of the Treasury’s actions, please visit their press release. The State Department’s Rewards for Justice website offers additional details on the RFJ program and its rewards. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has also issued a cybersecurity advisory.
The Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, along with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, are involved in these efforts to combat North Korean cyber espionage.
Conclusion
The U.S. sanctions on Song Kum Hyok and others demonstrate the government’s commitment to combating malicious cyber activities that pose a threat to national security and critical infrastructure.
This action is part of a broader effort by the United States to counter North Korea’s unlawful cyber activities.