Federal prosecutors announced Thursday, July 25, 2024, that they have indicted a North Korean national in a conspiracy to hack hospitals, military bases and NASA, in Kansas City, Kan. Rim Jong Hyok is wanted by the FBI. KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A North Korean military intelligence operative has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, U.S.
For more than three months, Rim and other members of the Andariel Unit of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau had access to NASA's computer system, extracting over 17 gigabytes of unclassified data, the indictment says. They also reached inside computer systems for defense companies in Michigan and California, as well as Randolph Air Force base in Texas and Robins Air Force base in Georgia, authorities say.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Rim, who has lived in North Korea and worked at the military intelligence agency's offices in both Pyongyang and Sinuiju, according to court records. A reward of up to $10 million has been offered for information that could lead to him or other foreign government operatives who target critical U.S. infrastructure.
A ransom note sent to the Kansas hospital demanded Bitcoin payments valued then at about $100,000, to be sent to a cryptocurrency address. In 2022, the Justice Department said the FBI seized approximately $500,000 in ransom payments from the money laundering accounts, including the entire ransom payment from the hospital.