Lawmakers in the dark about N. Korean hacking

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Tuesday told the National Assembly that North Korea had attempted to hack computers at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, diplomacy and security-related ministries and the parliament. According to the spy agency, the North had failed to hack the computers at Cheong Wa Dae and the ministries but had stolen data from the computers of personal computers belonging to three lawmakers and 11 aides. The stolen data was related to the National Assembly`s annual inspection of the administration. The NIS believes that a North Korean hacker unit operating overseas is responsible for the hacking.

Between 2008 and September 2012, the computers at the offices of lawmakers belonging to national security-related parliamentary committees were hacked in a total of 138 cases. The Secretariat of the National Assembly said that the North is believed to be responsible for most of the cyberattacks. In 2011, the National Assembly separated lawmakers` computer networks into an intranet and the Internet. While the parliament`s information system and business network is not connected to the outside and is thus highly unlikely to be infiltrated, its Internet network is exposed to outside hacking attempts despite security software installed. Although the Secretariat requests that lawmakers and their aides carry out their business only on the intranet, they store files on their personal computers. No wonder, considering that just 24 Secretariat personnel and 16 contract workers are maintaining some 5,000 computers at the parliament.

Na Kyung-won, chairwoman of the National Assembly`s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee; Gil Jeong-woo, a member of the Trade, Industry and Energy Committee, and a military general-turned lawmaker were not even aware that their office computers had been hacked. Although lawmakers often criticize the administration`s anti-cyber terrorism capabilities, the parliament`s own cyber security is extremely vulnerable to the extent that lawmakers are in the dark about documents containing crucial national security information falling into the hands of North Korean hackers. Cheong Wa Dae, as the cyber warfare control tower, should be alert about attempts to hack the nation`s nerve center and key infrastructure, and speed up taking measures on a government level.

The North has about 6,000 regular cyber warriors and has been increasing its cyberattacks on the South`s core facilities such as nuclear power plants, railroads and subway systems. Nevertheless, an anti-cyber terrorism bill has been pending in the parliament since it was proposed in April 2013 due to opposition parties` objection. The ruling and opposition parties must make bipartisan efforts to strengthen the nation`s cyber security at least in order to prevent North Korean hackers from infiltrating into lawmakers` computers.