North Korea launches new unit with a focus on AI hacking, per report

The North Korean government is reportedly establishing a new hacking group within the intelligence agency Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB). 

Daily NK, a news outlet that focuses on North Korea, reported last week that the new hacking unit, called Research Center 227, will focus on research to develop “offensive hacking technologies and programs,” citing a source inside the regime.

The source said, per the report, Research Center 227 will research Western cybersecurity systems and computer networks, strengthening the regime’s capabilities to steal digital assets; develop AI-based techniques for information theft; and work to respond to information from North Korean overseas hacking units. 

In recent years, North Korean hackers have been known to target crypto exchanges and companies around the world, leading to spectacular thefts like the recent $1.4 billion-worth hack of Bybit.

The U.S. National Security Agency and the FBI have previously accused the North Korean RGB unit of hacking and espionage activities.