South Korea Blames North Korea for Infecting Gambling Sites with Malware

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has uncovered a scam run by North Korean IT specialists who create and rent out gambling sites laced with viruses.

The NIS report says that the North Korean hackers, following orders from their regime, charge $5,000 a month for each site and $3,000 for technical support.

But who would buy these risky sites? The NIS says that South Korean cybercriminals are the main customers, as they exploit the high demand for online gambling in their country. Online gambling is mostly illegal in South Korea, which drives many people to the black market. Moreover, many gamblers prefer to play on websites that use their native language, which makes these sites more appealing.

The NIS claims that North Korea makes billions of dollars from this scheme. The hackers work hand in hand with the government, and the money goes to the state coffers. The report also warns that the infected sites siphon off personal data from South Korean players, which could be sold to others.