KIM Jong-un is recruiting primary school children and grooming them to become the world’s best hackers, an intelligence analyst has warned.
The child prodigies are recruited from the age of five and channelled into specialist schools where they learn how to target the West with devastating hacks.
The shocking revelation comes after North Korea’s shady Lazarus Group was accused of stealing $1.2billion in the largest heist in crypto’s history last month.
News of the theft stunned the world, and left people wondering just how Kim pulled it off.
Now, an expert has revealed that the Supreme Leader handpicks his army of cyber warriors from primary schools.
North Korea analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Michael Barnhart, told the Sun that North Korea has a “systematic approach to developing its cyber capabilities”.
He said there is significant evidence that prospective hackers are selected from as young as primary school age.
Barnhart said: “The process starts with identifying bright students in primary school who demonstrate aptitude in subjects like science and mathematics.”
The talented children are chosen in what Barnhart described as a “pyramid-like prodigy recruiting system”.
These talented children are selected through a “pyramid-like prodigy recruiting system”
Michael Barnhart
Once selected the budding hackers are channelled into specialist middle schools in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
The elite Keumseong 1 and 2 High-Middle Schools in Pyongyang are thought to be the main destinations for potential talent.
The gifted teens continue their education at North Korean technology universities including the prestigious Kim Il Sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology.
After graduating, the hacking hopefuls head off to China or Russia for around a year.
There they gain the “practical hacking and technical skills” to target the West.
This part of their training is crucial, as for many it is their first exposure to the global Internet.
Internet access is not generally available in North Korea, and only a handful of high-level officials and foreigners are permitted to use the global Internet.
Most citizens only have access to a heavily censored intranet called Kwangmyong.
Kwangmyong includes a number of regularly-updated news sites, but these are filled with ludicrous propaganda about the great endeavours of the Supreme Leader.
After completing the final part of their training, the hackers return and are placed in various warfare units to serve as “cyber warriors”.
Barnhart said: “This dedicated process illustrates North Korea’s strong commitment to building its cyber capabilities by nurturing and rigorously training individuals from a young age, including providing them with crucial experience outside of the country.”
But he added that throughout the entire process “vetting and loyalty to the regime is monitored closely and reinforced”.
Ensuring loyalty: Perks and pride
Being one of the world’s best hackers can’t be easy – that’s why Kim offers his precious cyber army a selection of perks.
For those who graduate with top grades, their parents could be in with the chance of upgrading their home.
Defector Kim Heung-kwang told Al-Jazeera in an interview that hackers’ parents who live in the provinces are often given the sought-after opportunity to live in the capital.
Heung-kwang added that the regime also guarantees married hackers housing in Pyongyang.
This kind of pride, being part of the elite, is nothing to sneeze about
Kim Heung-kwang
And what’s more – they are provided with food subsidies and a generous stipend during overseas deployments.
But when the stakes are this high it’s no wonder Kim treats his hackers so well.
It must be working as Heung-kwang seemed certain that the youngsters would stay loyal to their leader – even after being given access to the free Internet.
He said: “These kids have the confidence of the [ruling Worker’s] Party and have a certain standard of living guaranteed, not to mention a chance to live and travel abroad.
“This kind of pride, being part of the elite, is nothing to sneeze about.”
“They also don’t have any certainties that life away from the North will be any better than what they already have.”
The Lazarus Group
The Lazarus Group – also known as Guardians of Peace and Whois Team – is one of North Korea’s most notorious hacking groups.
While not much is known about the shady group it is thought to be responsible for some of the most damaging cyber attacks the world has ever seen.
The Lazarus Group was accused of stealing $1.2billion in the largest heist in crypto’s history.
Hackers were able to gain control of an Ethereum wallet and rip all of its contents, in a theft that sent shock waves through the world of blockchain.
How did the heist unfold?
NORTH Korean hackers were able to wipe $1.5billion out of an online crypto account in the world's biggest digital money theft.
Bybit has surprisingly relied on free public software for its security, despite more specialised business options being available.
This system, by tech company Safe, was hacked by North Korean hackers.
These criminals were able to send a request to transfer money from the doomed crypto wallet to another.
After Bybit’s CEO approved this request, the hackers were able to take control of the crypto account.
Hackers then moved the $1.5billion worth of crypto out of the account and into a location they could start turning the digital money into real cash.
But intelligence experts have revealed the group is likely to be more than just one cyber unit.
Senior manager at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Ben Read, said that Lazarus is actually an overarching term to identify a “wide umbrella of North Korean activity”.
He explained that, in reality, the so-called Lazarus Group likely constitutes multiple cyber units.
These units are made up of high-profile, extremely skilled hackers who have, together, developed tried-and-tested ways of breaching security and stealing money.
Read said: “While these groups have overlapping goals and occasionally share tools, they operate in different ways.”
But whatever the real identity of the Lazarus Group, one thing is for sure – it is a well-oiled machine.
Kim’s cash-starved regime
And what’s more – the stolen money is thought to be going directly into Kim’s pocket.
North Korea has been hit by many sanctions over the years, forcing its leader to think outside the box.
Now, the state relies on deadly cyber attacks on the West to fund its cash-starved regime.
A UN investigation in 2022 found that cyber attacks are an “important revenue source” for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme.
This came after an previous investigation proved that the state had accumulated $2billion for its weapons of mass destruction programmes through cyber attacks alone.
The shocking figure left the world wondering how they can better defend themselves against these attacks.
But with Kim’s cyber kids beginning their training from as early as five, the West doesn’t stand a chance.
