SEOUL, March 16 (UPI) -- North Korea-linked hackers carried out a spear-phishing campaign that used the popular South Korean messaging platform KakaoTalk to spread malware and steal sensitive information, according to a cybersecurity report released Monday.
The campaign was attributed to the Konni advanced persistent threat group and detailed in an analysis by the South Korean cybersecurity firm Genians Security Center.
Researchers said the attackers initially targeted victims with spear-phishing emails offering what appeared to be an appointment as a lecturer on North Korean human rights issues. The emails contained a malicious shortcut file that, when executed, installed remote-access malware on the victim's computer.
The operation stood out for its use of compromised victims to help spread the attack, creating what researchers described as a "trust-based propagation chain that leveraged existing victims as intermediaries for further intrusions."
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