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Article snippet: Department of Justice (DOJ) officials have unsealed a massive, 179 page-long complaint against a North Korean hacker, marking a significant benchmark in U.S. efforts to crack down on foreign cyberattacks. The document alleges that a North Korean programmer, alongside others, executed major attacks with the backing of Kim Jong Un’s government. And DOJ officials are touting the findings as an example of their willingness to go after foreign cyber actors who engage in cyberattacks against the U.S. and its allies. The allegations date back to 2014, a sign that officials are not willing to let past attacks slide as they attempt to guard against foreign efforts to influence the November midterm elections. Demers noted during a press call with reporters that with the complaint against North Korea, DOJ has now retaliated against four nations believed to be hostile cyber actors; the others are Russia, China and Iran. He said that when the U.S. began issuing the charges, starting with those against Chinese nationals in 2015, U.S. officials “made clear that working with a foreign government does not immunize criminal conduct.” The complaint goes into great detail about how the cyberattacks, believed to be backed by the North Korean government, were carried out. The 2014 hack on Sony, the theft of about $81 million from the national bank of Bangladesh and last year’s WannaCry ransomware attack are all described in the documents. Experts say that lengthy and specific complai... Link to the full article to read more