North Korea on Friday blamed South Korea and the United States for cyber-attacks that temporarily shut down websites this week at a time of elevated tensions over the North’s nuclear ambitions. Experts, however, indicated it could take months to determine what happened and one analyst suggested hackers in China were a more likely culprit.
Internet access in Pyongyang was intermittent on Wednesday and Thursday, and Loxley Pacific Co., the broadband internet provider for North Korea, said it was investigating an online attack that took down Pyongyang servers. A spokesman for the Bangkok-based company said on Friday that it was not clear where the attack originated.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency blamed the shutdown on the United States and South Korea, accusing the allies of expanding an aggressive stance against Pyongyang into cyberspace with ‘intensive and persistent virus attacks.’
South Korea denied the allegation and the US military declined to comment.
Loxley Pacific, which has provided broadband internet service in North Korea through a joint venture with the government since 2010, said the internet was back to normal Friday. AP journalists in Pyongyang also were able to access the internet again Friday after two days of disruptions. Most N’ Koreans do not internet.
Internet access in Pyongyang was intermittent on Wednesday and Thursday, and Loxley Pacific Co., the broadband internet provider for North Korea, said it was investigating an online attack that took down Pyongyang servers. A spokesman for the Bangkok-based company said on Friday that it was not clear where the attack originated.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency blamed the shutdown on the United States and South Korea, accusing the allies of expanding an aggressive stance against Pyongyang into cyberspace with ‘intensive and persistent virus attacks.’
South Korea denied the allegation and the US military declined to comment.
Loxley Pacific, which has provided broadband internet service in North Korea through a joint venture with the government since 2010, said the internet was back to normal Friday. AP journalists in Pyongyang also were able to access the internet again Friday after two days of disruptions. Most N’ Koreans do not internet.