North Korea has mistakenly allowed access to its list of websites, consisting of 28 domains that are no-longer-hidden from the rest of the world.
The list was posted on Github and then to a Reddit thread that led users to overflow North Korea’s servers out of sheer curiosity for Kim Jong-Un’s exclusive internet realm. The 28 websites featured the .kp extension, similar to .gov, .net, and .com, the latter hosting over 140 million domains. Users found websites with information about tourism, cooking, film, propaganda, a rudimentary social network called “friend.com.kp” and the Kim Il-Sung University’s main page. Other websites included news and updates on North Korea’s Supreme Leader.
Very few North Koreans have internet access. The country has 25 million inhabitants and about 1,000 registered IP addresses
North Korea is vulnerable to hacking
Apparently, even if North Korea is capable of performing world-class hacking operations such as the massive Sony Pictures hack, they are not very proficient when it comes to national cybersecurity.
Back in May, a British anonymous boy reported to Mirror that he was able to hack North Korea’s social network by correctly guessing the username and password for the main internet servers.
By looking up the details about the off-the-shelf software used for storing North Korea’s websites, he found out that by typing “admin” as the username and “password” as the password, he could gain access to the network’s core website, being able to delete user accounts, change the site name and even censor specific words.
“I’d love to visit North Korea one day – though I think i just blew my chances,” stated the anonymous computer student.
Escalating tensions after nuclear tests
On a more serious note, the world has kept a close eye on North Korea’s ongoing endeavors, as they appear to have developed a new rocket booster.
Pyongyang called on to Seoul to perform talks after unilaterally escalating tensions, to which the South Korean president refused to maintain any dialogue unless there is a reduction of provocations from Kim Jong-Un.
South Korea already held several talks with the North, while also providing money to promote such dialogues, but according to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, the money was used to develop nuclear weapons.
President Park let the media know that her administration will do anything in its reach to “break down Kim Jong-Un’s maniacal obsession with nuclear weapons and missiles, and protect the nation and the people.”
Korea’s ‘Mexican standoff’
Tensions have escalated at such level that South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo let the media know that, if the North incurred in an imminent nuclear threat against the South, they would deploy a special forces unit specifically trained to “retaliate against key areas that include the North Korean leadership.”
The special forces unit would be one of the main vectors of action of the plan known as “Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation,” (KMPR) as it was coined by South Korea.
All of this comes forth as North Korea continued its nuclear tests, including satellite launch that was perceived by military intelligence as a test for new rocket engines.
The latest nuclear test, on the other hand, was at first picked up as a magnitude-5 earthquake by the South, but it was then confirmed as Kim Jong-Un’s most dangerous nuclear detonation so far.
The KMPR plan suggests that every square meter of Pyongyang, including where the North Korean leadership is located, will be destroyed by the use of ballistic missiles as soon as there is a confirmed indication of the North using a nuclear weapon.
Some fear that the United States will have to deploy nuclear armament on South Korea once again, as the North becomes a more erratic threat as each month passes.
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced that he would be meeting with South Korean and Japanese authorities to discuss plans of action involving North Korea’s latest nuclear test.
The three countries said that there is a need in imposing more severe sanctions through the U.N. Security Council against North Korea.
Obama had already addressed that it would not tolerate North Korea to be acknowledged as a nuclear state, but it appears that each day Kim Jong-Un’s empire is closer to developing full-range ballistic missiles, capable of driving nuclear warheads to nearby nations.
Its closest adversaries are South Korea and Japan, both of which rely on the United States’ leadership and military strength. After Kerry’s announcement, the U.S. commissioned two bombers to pilot over South Korea as a display of military cooperation between both nations.
North Korea has performed two nuclear tests in 2016, whereas the latest ones were in 2013, 2009, and 2006. Intelligence officers believe that North Korea should have less than 20 nuclear warheads, but even a single one is capable of unleashing a catastrophic conflict that would have global repercussions and consequently, thousands of casualties.
The most advanced ballistic missile developed by North Korea is the Taepodong-3 or Unha-3, able to reach over 8,000 miles and carry a payload of 2,000 pounds.
It was first launched in 2012 to mark the 100th anniversary of North Korea’s founding father, Kim Il-Sung. The rocket broke apart shortly after launch, failing to reach orbit and crashing into the sea.
Source: Mirror.co.uk