Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute Admits 'Hacking' Incident... "Investigating Perpetrators and Damage Scale"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute acknowledged on the 19th that "an unidentified external party accessed some systems through vulnerabilities in the VPN system" in relation to a hacking incident by a North Korean hacking group.

The Institute stated, "Accordingly, we blocked the attacker’s IP and applied security updates to the VPN system," adding, "We are investigating the hacking entity and the extent of the damage in cooperation with relevant agencies."

Earlier, a weekly current affairs magazine reported in a recent issue, "A hacking incident occurred in the research systems of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and it has been confirmed that government authorities are currently investigating. The Institute is conducting its own investigation into the hacking incident, and there is an analysis that it was carried out by a North Korean hacking group."

The publication also added, "In this process, the Institute even showed signs of attempting to conceal the hacking incident."

In response, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute stated, "The explanation by an employee that 'there was no hacking incident' was a mistake by the staff during an ongoing investigation where intrusion was suspected but no damage had been confirmed," and apologized, saying, "We apologize for causing concern to the public due to the hacking incident."