The Organization of Cyber Operations in North Korea

December 18, 2014

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) announced last night a cancellation of the upcoming release of “The Interview.” U.S. government officials also informally acknowledged that North Korea played a central role in the cyber attacks against Sony. The act against Sony is the first of its kind by North Korea, in terms of both the target and the sophistication of the hack. On the history of past North Korean cyber attacks and their capabilities, see “What Do We Know about Past North Korean Cyber Attacks and Their Capabilities,” http://csis.org/publication/what-do-we-know-about-past-north-korean-cyber-attacks-and-their-capabilities.

This analysis by our research team looks at how cyber operations in North Korea are organized.
In this piece, they focus on where North Korea’s cyber operations fit within the larger organizational structure of the government, because it provides insight into their mission, strategy, and history. Aside from the technical analysis of their capabilities, studying the organizational structure can provide insights into what North Korea’s cyber strategy might be and what steps the nation has taken to operationalize it.