The US Department of Justice is expected to announce on Thursday computer hacking charges against a North Korean spy in connection with a 2014 attack on Sony Pictures, US media reports said.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th September, 2018) The US Department of Justice is expected to announce on Thursday computer hacking charges against a North Korean spy in connection with a 2014 attack on Sony Pictures, US media reports said.
It would be first time that the US has brought charges against a North Korean operative, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The alleged spy, Pak Jin Hyok, who conducted hacking for Pyongyang's military intelligence agency, will be charged with the attack on Sony, the report said, citing unnamed US officials.
The defendant reportedly also has connections to the Lazarus Group, which has been implicated in various cybercrimes, including last year's WannaCry computer virus attack.
Meanwhile, the US Department of the Treasury is expected to announce separate sanctions against North Korea individuals linked to the malicious activities on Thursday.
The WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017 infected hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries. In November 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment suffered a cyberattack. The November 2014 attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment saw the hackers download the company's confidential information, including salaries, employee personal data and unreleased movies, and then post the materials online.
