North Korea Hit by Major Internet Outage, Likely Due to Internal Cause
North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday, knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace.
It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure.
North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday according to checks by Reuters.
North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a UK-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier.
"Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack."
Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response center, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment.
Martyn Williams, who specializes in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working.
North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network.
An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences.
North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks.
The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies.
North Korea denies involvement in hacking, crypto thefts and other cybercrime.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan reiterates desire to resolve outstanding issues with India via dialogue
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reiterated his country's desire to resolve its outstanding issues with India, state-run media reported, as tensions simmer between the two neighbors following their armed conflict last month. India and Pakistan engaged in the worst fighting between the two countries since 1999, raising fears of the prospects of an all-out nuclear war. After both countries traded heavy fire for four days, pounding each other with missiles, fighter jets and drone strikes, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between them on May 10. Speaking to his Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the phone, Sharif thanked him for Kuala Lumpur's 'support and balanced stance' during Pakistan's conflict with India. 'The prime minister underscored that Pakistan had always strived for regional peace and stability,' state-run Radio Pakistan said. 'He reiterated that Pakistan was ready for dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.' Sharif separately wrote on social media account X that he looks forward to Islamabad and Kuala Lumpur deepening and strengthening their bilateral ties. 'I greatly look forward to my visit to Malaysia later this year,' he wrote. Had a warm and most cordial telephone conversation with my brother, Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim @anwaribrahim of Malaysia. We exchanged Eid-ul-Adha greetings and prayed for unity in the Ummah and peace in Gaza. I thanked Malaysia for its principled stance during the… — Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) June 7, 2025 India and Pakistan, bitter rivals since they gained independence in 1947 from British rule, have fought two out of three wars over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. Both countries administer Kashmir in parts but claim the region entirely. Pakistan accuses India of occupying Kashmir and denying its people their right to self-determination. It regularly calls on India to abide by the United Nations Security Council resolutions and hold a transparent plebiscite in the territory. India, on the other hand, accuses Pakistan of arming and funding militant separatists in the part of Kashmir it administers. Islamabad has denied the allegations and says it extends only diplomatic and moral support to the people of Indian-administered Kashmir.
Asharq Al-Awsat
6 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China Says It May Speed up Rare Earths Application Approvals from EU
China is willing to accelerate the examination and approval of rare earth exports to European Union firms, its commerce ministry said on Saturday. Price commitment consultations between China and the EU on Chinese-made electric vehicles exported to the EU have also entered a final stage but efforts from both sides are still needed, according to a statement on the Chinese commerce ministry's website. The issues were discussed between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in Paris on Tuesday, according to the statement. The comments mark progress on matters that have vexed China's relationship with the European Union over the past year. Most recently, China's decision in April to suspend exports of a wide range of rare earths and related magnets has upended the supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. The ministry said China attached great importance to the EU's concerns and "was willing to establish a green channel for qualified applications to speed up the approval process." Commerce Minister Wang during the meeting "expressed the hope that the EU will meet us halfway and take effective measures to facilitate, safeguard and promote compliant trade in high-tech products to China," according to the statement. In April, the European Commission said the EU and China had also agreed to look into setting minimum prices of Chinese-made electric vehicles instead of tariffs imposed by the EU last year. China's commerce ministry said the EU had also proposed exploring "new technical paths" relating to EVs, which the Chinese side was now evaluating.
Asharq Al-Awsat
10 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
North Korea Hit by Major Internet Outage, Likely Due to Internal Cause
North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday, knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace. It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure. North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday according to checks by Reuters. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a UK-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack." Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response center, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment. Martyn Williams, who specializes in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working. North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network. An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences. North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks. The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies. North Korea denies involvement in hacking, crypto thefts and other cybercrime.
