N.Korea Hacks Dozens of S.Korean Officials’ Smartphones

North Korean hackers sent text messages to the phones of Seoul officials in an attempt to lure them into following links to download malicious software, according to local media.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — North Korea stole information from dozens of Seoul top government officials' smartphones in the past couple of weeks, local media reported Tuesday, citing South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service.

North Korean hackers sent text messages to the phones of Seoul officials in an attempt to lure them into following links to download malicious software, the Yonhap news agency reported. A fifth of the phones targeted were successfully hacked, according to the media.

According to the news agency, Pyongyang gained access to the content of text messages and phone conversations between late February and early March.

The cyberattacks came amid heightened tensions between the two Koreas following Pyongyang's nuclear test and long-range rocket launch violating UN Security Council resolutions and triggering condemnation from the international community earlier this year.

On March 2, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution to extend existing sanctions on North Korea.