North Korean hackers target US-South Korea military drills

(Patria) - Suspected hackers from North Korea have attacked a joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea held this week, although confidential information was not compromised, South Korean police said on Sunday, Reuters reported.

South Korean and US forces begin eleven-day summer drills "Ulchi Freedom Guardian" on Monday to improve their ability to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

North Korea opposes such drills, saying they are preparations by the US and its South Korean ally for an invasion of it.

Hackers believed to be linked to a North Korean group that researchers call Kimsuky, carried out an email attack on South Korean contractors working at a combined war simulation center belonging to the US and South Korea, according to a statement from the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency.

"It has been confirmed that information related to the military was not stolen," the police statement said on Sunday.

North Korea has previously denied any role in cyber attacks.

According to researchers, Kimsuky hackers have long used emails for "phishing" attacks aimed at tricking targets into handing over passwords or clicking on attachments or links that load malware.

South Korean police and the US military conducted a joint investigation and found that the IP address used in the hacking attempt matched one identified in the hacking of a South Korean nuclear reactor operator in 2014, police said. At the time, South Korea accused North Korea of being behind that cyber attack.