‘Dark Seoul’ Serially Hacks Against South Korea, Reports Symantec

Symantec Corp the security software developer in USA recently conducted a research that revealed one hacking scheme launched on South Korea since as-far-as 4-yrs back, published ZDNet.com dated June 27, 2013. Symantec's researchers, who examined a malware code, came to the conclusion that several online-assaults unleashed against the country traced to one lone cabal known as "Dark Seoul Gang."

As per the news agency Reuters, large pieces of malware programs detected are the same as clues uncovered during considerable assaults in the said time-span, with the assaults first uncovered during 2009.

Symantec Security Response's Technical Director Eric Chien states that the clues don't indicate the gangsters' identities, however, suggest there are 10-50 persons completing the gang because of the malicious program's advanced form along with complexity of the associated assaults. ZDNet.com published this.

Symantec further says the hackers' cabal has been launching assaults, some being the Jokra assaults of March 2013 which erased all content of many hard drives belonging to the PCs of South Korean broadcasting units and banks, and the May 2013 assaults against SK's financial companies.

The security company hasn't as well determined the venue of Dark Seoul's operations; although it's sure the gang's hacking campaigns had political motivation behind them as evident from the messages' topic where the messages helped modify file contents. The gang even targeted U.S like the assault dated July 4, 2009 wherein the Dozer Trojan was employed for weakening websites.

During the 63rd anniversary celebrations on June 25, 2013 marking Korean War's beginning, miscreants utilized Trojan Castov for overwhelming government websites of SK with DDoS assaults.

Symantec Security Response's Manager-of-Operations Liam O'Murchu stated that the assaults had shown an enormous amount of coordination as well as that Dark Seoul sought for executing espionage campaigns against its targets before deliberately destroying operations and data. SCMagazine.com reported this on June 27, 2013.

Expectedly according to Symantec, Dark Seoul will keep on executing attacks, whether or not it operates for North Korea. As the gang's assaults have political reasons behind them and also receive the required monetary backing, cyber destructions against South Korean organizations will continue, Symantec concludes.

» SPAMfighter News - 7/5/2013