North Korea Works With Cybercriminals All Over The World, Including Those From Russia: U.S.

Just a day after President Joe Biden warned of Russian cyber attacks, the U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke about North Korea's cyber capabilities. On Tuesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Moscow and Pyongyang have discussed developing bilateral ties "in the context of changes taking place in the international arena."

In a press briefing, Sullivan said that Kim Jong Un's regime possesses significant cyber capabilities and works with all kinds of cybercriminals, including those from Russia.

"All I can say generally is that North Korea cyber capabilities have been manifest in the world and they work with all kinds of cyber criminals around the world, including Russian cyber criminals," Sullivan said.

However, the 45-year-old did not provide any other details, saying "I've got nothing further for you on that today."

According to reports, North Korea has an army of over 7,000 trained hackers, with many of them based in China and Russia.

On Monday, Biden told American businesses to be alert for cyber attacks by Russia. The U.S. president said the administration has issued “new warnings that, based on evolving intelligence, Russia may be planning a cyberattack against us... The magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential, and it’s coming.”

"And what I want to mention very much, very quickly with you all is one of the tools he's most likely to use, in my view, in our view, is cyber, cyber attacks," Biden said, adding the Russians have a "very sophisticated cyber capability."

Sullivan's comments came as South Korea’s defense ministry elevated the national cybersecurity alert level to the third-highest of five tiers Monday. Seoul cited threats related to North Korea’s ballistic missile launches and the war in Ukraine becoming a growing concern prompting the move.

“The move comes as conflicts between Russia and Ukraine continue in cyberspace and concerns that North Korea’s repeated threat of ballistic missile projectiles could escalate into cyberspace,” the Ministry of National Defense explained in a press release, according to NK News.

North Korea, along with Russia, Belarus, Eritrea and Syria, voted against a UN resolution in early March that condemned Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.