On 15 March, the Belfer Center published a report saying that the illicit revenue operations generate helps blunt the impact of tough global sanctions and supports the regime’s ballistic-missile and nuclear-weapons programs. It can enable the procurement of banned military or dual-use technology as well as luxury goods for Pyongyang elites. Profits from computerised theft are also believed to help fund other components of North Korea’s cyber program, from hacker training to tooling development to non-remunerative campaigns designed to gather intelligence or cause destruction. The report explores North Korean financially motivated actors’ convergence of interests and tradecraft with cybercriminals, focusing on their dealings with the Russian-language underground.
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