North Korean charged in ransomware attacks on American hospitals
SUMMARY
A North Korean man, Rim Jong Hyok, has been indicted in Kansas for his alleged role in hacking American health care providers, according to federal prosecutors. Hyok, said to be linked to North Korea’s military intelligence, reportedly laundered ransom money to fund additional cyber attacks on global defense, technology, and government entities. The attacks disrupted patient care in the U.S., with a Kansas hospital paying $100,000 in Bitcoin in a May 2021 hack. “North Korea uses these cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions,” stated FBI agent Stephen A. Cyrus, noting the direct impact on Kansas citizens. The Justice Department recovered the ransom payments and highlighted North Korea’s profit-driven cyber attacks, differentiating them from those by hackers in Russia and China.
