Spy agency warns of NK

2024-06-23 11:37:48      点击：675

This combined image shows the legitimate news page of web portal Naver (news.naver.com), left, and that of the North Korean phishing website Naverportal (news.naverportal.com). The two sites provide almost identical information making it very difficult to tell them apart. Courtesy of National Intelligence Service

By Nam Hyun-woo

North Korea is trying to steal South Koreans' personal data by operating a phishing website that replicates South Korea's largest portal Naver in real time, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Wednesday, urging the public to be cautious about wrong web addresses.

The spy agency said in a press release that the North has been attempting to steal user data through a number of fake Naver websites.

"If the domain address is not the legitimate Naver access domain ― www.naver.com ― such as www.naverportal.com, please immediately stop accessing it," the NIS said in the release.

According to the NIS, the North has been replicating the sign-in page of Naver to induce South Korean users to input their login details, thereby stealing usernames and passwords and gaining access to their real Naver accounts.

The latest impostor sites have been capable of real-time mirroring of news, ad banners, finance and other information available on Naver's top page, making it very difficult to distinguish between the real site and the phishing site based solely on appearance, the NIS said.

"Their cyberattack techniques have evolved to improve the possibility of stealing personal information," an official at the NIS said.

The spy agency said it immediately shared relevant information with the government, public institutions and the Korea Internet & Security Agency to protect citizens. Those organizations are now taking measures to block access to the phishing sites.

Given the servers of the North Korean phishing sites are located overseas, the NIS is now tracking them by sharing related information with international agencies.

"Entering the website address directly or utilizing the bookmark function are safer ways of using web portals," the NIS official said. "North Korea's cyberattack techniques are becoming increasingly sophisticated, so the public should pay greater attention to their cybersecurity."