Cybercrime as an adaptation method of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the sanctions regime

Offensive activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in cyberspace constitute one of the more serious threats to global cybersecurity. Despite international sanctions, the DPRK regime effectively employs cybercriminal operations to generate state revenues amounting to billions of dollars. The aim of the article is to assess the scale, nature and significance of financial cybercrime within North Korea’s economic and operational strategy under the sanctions regime. North Korean cyber groups, the largest profit-driven cyber attacks attributed to the DPRK, were discussed, and mechanisms implemented by governments and international organisations to counter state-sponsored cybercrime were presented. The results of the analysis indicate that North Korea’s offensive cyber activities serve as a strategic tool enabling the regime not only to effectively obtain financial resources, but also to achieve political objectives and project power in cyberspace. These conclusions highlight the need to re-evaluate existing strategies for combating this type of cybercrime, particularly considering isolated regimes.