South Korea running cyber warfare drills after nuclear power plant hack

While the Sony hack and the subsequent decision to cancel the release of The Interview have dominated headlines, a new hack pinned on North Korea is substantially more disturbing.

Last week, manuals and other documents relating to equipment owned by South Korea’s nuclear plant operator, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co (KHNP) were posted online.

An account called ‘president of the anti-nuclear reactor group’ posted nuclear reactor blueprints on social media on Friday. It was the latest in a series of leaks that began on 15 December.

The latest disclosure was followed by a threat that unless three reactors were closed by Christmas, people should “stay away” from them. KHNP has said the leaked data does not undermine the safety of the reactors.

The operator says it’s conducting a series of large-scale drills at four nuclear power plants across the country today and tomorrow, focused on its ability to withstand a cyber-attack.

Previous data leaks have included  nuclear plants’ air conditioning and cooling system specifications, a radiation exposure report and employees’ personal information.

Authorities in South Korea have launched a probe into how the data was leaked. It’s not known whether the cyber-attack is related to the Sony hack.

The South Korean government has previously blamed North Korea for attacks on banks, government websites and broadcasters. The source of the latest attack was tracked to an IP address in provincial Seoul.

Late last week, the FBI formally accused North Korea of perpetrating the Sony hack.

➤ Hacker posts more S. Korean reactor info on Internet [Yonhap News Agency via BBC News]

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