DHS, FBI release details on North Korea cyberattacks

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday released technical details about the methods behind North Korea’s cyberattacks.

The agencies identified IP addresses associated with a malware known as DeltaCharlie, which North Korea uses to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

The alert called for institutions to come forward with any information they might have about the nation’s cyber activity, which the U.S. government refers to as “Hidden Cobra.”

{mosads}“If users or administrators detect the custom tools indicative of HIDDEN COBRA, these tools should be immediately flagged, reported to the DHS National Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center (NCCIC) or the FBI Cyber Watch (CyWatch), and given highest priority for enhanced mitigation,” the alert reads.

The DHS and FBI also highlighted some vulnerabilities that North Korea has been known to exploit and recommended organizations upgrade to the latest versions of Adobe Flash Player, Microsoft Silverlight and Hangui Word Processor, or delete them altogether if the programs aren’t needed.