North Korean hackers are reportedly using spear-phishing emails to target foreign-policy experts in an attempt to gain insights into Western policy on North Korea. Instead of infecting computers with malware or stealing data, the hackers are posing as reputable sources in order to elicit information from their targets. The campaign was first identified by researchers at the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, who dubbed the hacking group Thallium or Kimsuky. Thallium has a long history of attacking government employees, human rights organizations, think tanks, and academics. In 2020, a report by US government cybersecurity agencies said the group was “most likely tasked by the North Korean regime with a global intelligence gathering mission.”
Read More: North Korean cyber spies deploy new tactic, tricking foreign experts into writing research for them
