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KIM Jong-un is recruiting primary school children and grooming them to become the world’s best hackers, an intelligence analyst has warned.
The child prodigies are recruited from the age of five and channelled into specialist schools where they learn how to target the West with devastating hacks.
Students attend a class at the Kang Pan Sok revolutionary school outside Pyongyang[/caption]
Children march in formation through Songdowon International School Children’s Camp in Wonsan, North Korea[/caption]
Kim Jong-un recruits primary school children for his shady hacking groups[/caption]
The shocking revelation comes after North Korea’s shady Lazarus Group was accused of stealing $1.2billion in the largest heist in crypto’s history last month.
News of the theft stunned the world, and left people wondering just how Kim pulled it off.
Now, an expert has revealed that the Supreme Leader handpicks his army of cyber warriors from primary schools.
North Korea analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Michael Barnhart, told the Sun that North Korea has a “systematic approach to developing its cyber capabilities”.
He said there is significant evidence that prospective hackers are selected from as young as primary school age.
Barnhart said: “The process starts with identifying bright students in primary school who demonstrate aptitude in subjects like science and mathematics.”
The talented children are chosen in what Barnhart described as a “pyramid-like prodigy recruiting system”.
These talented children are selected through a “pyramid-like prodigy recruiting system”
Michael Barnhart
Once selected the budding hackers are channelled into specialist middle schools in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
The elite Keumseong 1 and 2 High-Middle Schools in Pyongyang are thought to be the main destinations for potential talent.
The gifted teens continue their education at North Korean technology universities including the prestigious Kim Il Sung University and Kim Chaek University of Technology.
After graduating, the hacking hopefuls head off to China or Russia for around a year.
There they gain the “practical hacking and technical skills” to target the West.
This part of their training is crucial, as for many it is their first exposure to the global Internet.
Internet access is not generally available in North Korea, and only a handful of high-level officials and foreigners are permitted to use the global Internet.
Most citizens only have access to a heavily censored intranet called Kwangmyong.
Kwangmyong includes a number of regularly-updated news sites, but these are filled with ludicrous propaganda about the great endeavours of the Supreme Leader.
After completing the final part of their training, the hackers return and are placed in various warfare units to serve as “cyber warriors”.
Barnhart said: “This dedicated process illustrates North Korea’s strong commitment to building its cyber capabilities by nurturing and rigorously training individuals from a young age, including providing them with crucial experience outside of the country.”
But he added that throughout the entire process “vetting and loyalty to the regime is monitored closely and reinforced”.
Children arrive at Kallimgil Primary School in Mangyongdae District of Pyongyang[/caption]
Children studying at Kallimgil Primary School[/caption]
Kim Chaek University of Technology in Pyongyang[/caption]
Kim Il-Sung university in Pyongyang[/caption]
Being one of the world’s best hackers can’t be easy – that’s why Kim offers his precious cyber army a selection of perks.
For those who graduate with top grades, their parents could be in with the chance of upgrading their home.
Defector Kim Heung-kwang told Al-Jazeera in an interview that hackers’ parents who live in the provinces are often given the sought-after opportunity to live in the capital.
Heung-kwang added that the regime also guarantees married hackers housing in Pyongyang.
This kind of pride, being part of the elite, is nothing to sneeze about
Kim Heung-kwang
And what’s more – they are provided with food subsidies and a generous stipend during overseas deployments.
But when the stakes are this high it’s no wonder Kim treats his hackers so well.
It must be working as Heung-kwang seemed certain that the youngsters would stay loyal to their leader – even after being given access to the free Internet.
He said: “These kids have the confidence of the [ruling Worker’s] Party and have a certain standard of living guaranteed, not to mention a chance to live and travel abroad.
“This kind of pride, being part of the elite, is nothing to sneeze about.”
“They also don’t have any certainties that life away from the North will be any better than what they already have.”
View of the Taedong River and Juche Tower in Pyongyang, North Korea[/caption]
View of the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea[/caption]
The Lazarus Group – also known as Guardians of Peace and Whois Team – is one of North Korea’s most notorious hacking groups.
While not much is known about the shady group it is thought to be responsible for some of the most damaging cyber attacks the world has ever seen.
The Lazarus Group was accused of stealing $1.2billion in the largest heist in crypto’s history.
Hackers were able to gain control of an Ethereum wallet and rip all of its contents, in a theft that sent shock waves through the world of blockchain.
NORTH Korean hackers were able to wipe $1.5billion out of an online crypto account in the world’s biggest digital money theft.
Bybit has surprisingly relied on free public software for its security, despite more specialised business options being available.
This system, by tech company Safe, was hacked by North Korean hackers.
These criminals were able to send a request to transfer money from the doomed crypto wallet to another.
After Bybit’s CEO approved this request, the hackers were able to take control of the crypto account.
Hackers then moved the $1.5billion worth of crypto out of the account and into a location they could start turning the digital money into real cash.
But intelligence experts have revealed the group is likely to be more than just one cyber unit.
Senior manager at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Ben Read, said that Lazarus is actually an overarching term to identify a “wide umbrella of North Korean activity”.
He explained that, in reality, the so-called Lazarus Group likely constitutes multiple cyber units.
These units are made up of high-profile, extremely skilled hackers who have, together, developed tried-and-tested ways of breaching security and stealing money.
Read said: “While these groups have overlapping goals and occasionally share tools, they operate in different ways.”
But whatever the real identity of the Lazarus Group, one thing is for sure – it is a well-oiled machine.
The ‘worst hack in history’ saw the Lazarus Group steal $1.2billion[/caption]
And what’s more – the stolen money is thought to be going directly into Kim’s pocket.
North Korea has been hit by many sanctions over the years, forcing its leader to think outside the box.
Now, the state relies on deadly cyber attacks on the West to fund its cash-starved regime.
A UN investigation in 2022 found that cyber attacks are an “important revenue source” for Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme.
This came after an previous investigation proved that the state had accumulated $2billion for its weapons of mass destruction programmes through cyber attacks alone.
The shocking figure left the world wondering how they can better defend themselves against these attacks.
But with Kim’s cyber kids beginning their training from as early as five, the West doesn’t stand a chance.
NORTH Korean hackers have reportedly worked round-the-clock to cash out at least $300million of their record breaking $1.5billion crypto heist.
The country’s shady Lazarus Group shockingly ripped the digital cash out of one Ethereum wallet through the exchange site Bybit.
North Korean hackers have reportedly cash out $300million out of their record breaking $1.5billion crypto scam[/caption]
The money was wiped from a Bybit account on 21 February[/caption]
Park Jin Hyok is one of the hacking suspects[/caption]
These criminals reportedly swipe online money to help fund Kim Jong-Un’s nuclear programme.
The Lazarus Group’s latest hit was orchestrating the world’s largest heist in crypto history two weeks ago.
Fraudsters were able to access the £1.5billion wallet and transfer the contents to an unidentified address.
Authorities have attempted to track the digital coins and stop criminals from turning them into real cash.
Despite this, the alleged North Korean hackers have been able to cash out on around an eye-watering $300million.
Experts have revealed that Kim’s nation has unexpectedly become one of the best countries at crypto crime, according to the BBC.
These criminals are thought to be working round-the-clock to turn as much of their stolen Ethereum into usable cash.
Dr Tom Robinson, co-founder of crypto investigators Elliptic said: “Every minute matters for the hackers who are trying to confuse the money trail and they are extremely sophisticated in what they’re doing.”
Robinson added: “I imagine they have an entire room of people doing this using automated tools and years of experience.
“We can also see from their activity that they only take a few hours break each day, possibly working in shifts to get the crypto turned into cash.”
North Korea has never admitted to being behind the Lazarus group but the FBI has named Park Jin Hyok as one of the alleged hackers.
Dubai-based exchange Bybit admitted that around 20 per cent of the stolen crypto has “gone dark”, meaning it will probably never be found.
The group of high-profile, extremely skilled hackers has developed what experts describe as a powerful and sophisticated system that can breach security layers and steal money.
They have previously ripped a whopping $5billion worth of digital money from the West.
The Lazarus group then used their system on 21 February to carry out what the CEO of Bybit, Ben Zhou, called “the worst hack in history”.
Zhou said he would cover the lost money but the attack caused the value of Ethereum to drop by about four per cent.
Bybit, which oversees $20billion worth of assets, did not have enough on hand to cover the $1.5billion loss so borrowing from other firms to keep the company afloat.
NORTH Korean hackers were able to wipe $1.5billion out of an online crypto account in the world’s biggest digital money theft.
Bybit has surprisingly relied on free public software for its security, despite more specialised business options being available.
This system, by tech company Safe, was hacked by North Korean hackers.
These criminals were able to send a request to transfer money from the doomed crypto wallet to another.
After Bybit’s CEO approved this request, the hackers were able to take control of the crypto account.
Hackers then moved the $1.5billion worth of crypto out of the account and into a location they could start turning the digital money into real cash.
Source: The New York Times
Hackers were able to pull off the mind blowing breach by exploiting a flaw in Bybit’s security system, according to The New York Times.
The crypto trading site has relied on a free and publicly available software by the company Safe, rather than more advanced systems.
North Korean hackers were reportedly able to breach this system and send a link to the CEO asking for a huge sum of crypto to be sent from one account to another.
After CEO Zhou approved the request, criminals were able to get control of the account and wipe the funds.
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A BRIT woman whose ex took secret videos of them having sex has spoken for the first time about discovering the footage on Pornhub.
Jill Martin was just 23 and living in Florida when she met her ex-boyfriend Daniel Carson – the man who would make her life a living hell for years to come.
Jill Martin says she’s still haunted by the footage shared by her ex on porn sites[/caption]
Carson shared intimate footage of the pair across several MindGeek platforms – a Canada-based company which owns PornHub, Redtube, YouPorn and Brazzers.
Jill, 39, bravely contacted the police and in 2018 her ex was sentenced to a year behind bars for extortion and sexual cyber harassment.
But she was left desperately trying to get the videos removed from Pornhub and other MindGeek sites.
Despite various attempts to get the videos removed, Jill claims she has never received a response from the company.
In an emotional interview with The Sun, she said she is still not sure if the content has been completely removed from MindGeek’s multiple sites.
She fears the footage may have been re-uploaded by different users – with no way of tracking the clips.
Speaking about her horror ordeal in a bid to help other victims, brave Jill said: “I wished people would come forward and not be ashamed and not scared, that’s what they [MindGeek] want and I want people to know we are real people.
“If we stay anonymous no one sees your face or your name – you’re not really a person.
“It [MindGeek] damages lives, it’s hurt my life too. I just wished more people would come forward and we can build a community together.”
Talking about the horror discovery, she said: “It was very traumatic, I thought that my husband was going to leave me and it was horrible.
“I honestly thought about killing myself at one point because I was just so ashamed.
“I didn’t want anyone to find these videos, I felt powerless because I didn’t know who to go to.
“This happened when revenge porn was at its start and there weren’t the organisations to go to now that can help people.”
Most people will be familiar with Pornhub – one of the world’s leading porn sites.
But PornHub and its owners have received backlash for years for its inadequate response to taking down non-consensual pornography.
The site is “infested with rape videos” and “monetises child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content, and footage of women being asphyxiated in plastic bags”, a New York Times column said in 2020.
Pornhub was launched in Canada in 2007 and was bought in 2010 by MindGeek – and by 2022 it was the 13th most trafficked website in the world.
I honestly thought about killing myself at one point because I was just so ashamed
Jill Martin
The site allows users to view and upload pornographic content – but footage can be flagged if it violates the company’s terms of service.
The terms stipulate that users must be at least 18 years old, anyone featured in videos must be 18 and content must not depict underage sexual activity, non-consensual sexual activity, revenge porn, blackmail, intimidation and violence.
Despite the regulations, Jill is not the only victim who had to witness the worst moments of their lives being shared online for the whole world to see.
In 2019, a 15-year-old missing girl was found alive after her mum was alerted to nearly 60 videos of her being sexually abused on PornHub.
Victim Rose Kalema also shared her own heartbreaking story in 2020, telling how she had been raped at knifepoint when she was just 14-years-old.
Rose said she felt sick when months later the video was uploaded onto Pornhub and was shared by her classmates, the BBC reported.
She said she emailed Pornhub repeatedly for six months and had no response until she impersonated a lawyer.
Her story is similar to so many others – with MindGeek appearing to escape any responsibility and still profit from the sick content.
Pornhub is estimated to make £83billion a year – mostly through ads and its premium subscription service for what it describes as “porn worth watching”.
In 2016, years after Jill split from Carson, she was running a successful business when she had a bizarre email using the same name as her ex-partner.
Knowing the phone number on the email was his, she asked that he leave her alone.
But she was horrified by what she found when she Googled his email address and her name.
It showed at least four videos of them together on porn sites such as Pornhub and Spank Wire.
Jill told The Sun: “My heart sank to my stomach. I had a complete mental breakdown and ended up closing my business.
“I was lucky my now husband, he was my boyfriend at the time, took care of me financially because for a year I couldn’t work. I was a complete mess.
“It was painful, I was really sick, I was in shock, to be honest, and the fact that when I found them they had been up there for nearly a year.”
Despite feeling ashamed, Jill said she knew she had to contact the cops when he began blackmailing her and told her husband and loved ones.
Her ex was arrested and later jailed for 12 months on extortion and sexual cyber harassment charges after accepting a plea deal.
I had a complete mental breakdown and ended up closing my business
Jill Martin
But sadly she was left dealing with the aftermath of Carson’s actions as she struggled to get the content removed.
She says despite every desperate attempt to reach out to MindGeek and its platforms, she has never had a response.
The Sun has seen emails sent to one of MindGeek’s sites asking for the content to be removed and has spoken to authorities involved in the case at the time.
In the lead-up to the trial, Jill said her lawyers subpoenaed Spankwire – but it’s not clear whether the site responded to the order.
Some videos were only taken down four years later in 2020 when Pornhub removed content from unverified users.
But it didn’t mean the clips were gone as users had been able to download and re-upload videos on porn sites around the world.
They may also have been uploaded with different names, captions or tags – which would make them completely untraceable.
Pornhub has been heavily criticised for its response to banned and non-consensual content.
Actress Uldouz Wallace was a victim of an iCloud hacker who stole private images from the devices of 100 women including celebs Jennifer Lawrence and Selena Gomez in 2014.
Uldouz’s ex-boyfriend had taken secret intimate images of her and was using them to blackmail her via text message – months after the images were leaked onto the internet.
But she said she also struggled to get the content removed over a seven-year period despite numerous take-down requests, meaning the videos were constantly being re-uploaded.
Pornhub told The Sun that it had received takedown requests from Uldouz and her lawyers “which led to the expeditious removal of the content” but failed to specify when they had responded.
Talking about the hack, she told The Sun: “Who would have known that I was being stalked by this hacker for two years?
“He was monitoring all of our text messages, talks.
“It all hit me really bad and my stomach just dropped and my heart sank, and my whole body collapsed.
“I isolated myself for years and got my head down and kept working to bury everything.”
She said other actors, agents and influencers would bully her believing she was a pornstar – meaning she lost millions in earnings.
Speaking about why other survivors should come forward, she said: “It’s not your shame to carry, it was never your shame to carry… I’m a big believer in taking your power back.
“When I went public I was silent for all of those years but if I had just spoken out sooner I wouldn’t have let it fester for so long.”
Pornhub has previously removed some non-consensual videos when reported, but due to the excruciating process, the clips are cloned and re-uploaded quicker than they could be taken down.
Pornhub said that out of the 3.8 million videos that were uploaded last year, 157,419 were removed for violating the terms of the site.
It claims 13,321 of those were non-consensual videos that were fingerprinted to stop them from being re-uploaded onto the site again.
But in several cases, the victim flagging the sick content is ignored and gets zero response from moderators.
Content classed as premium is still downloadable for users and until the content is fingerprinted it will still be available to share.
MindGeek has now rebranded in a bid to move away from its shadowy past – instead using the company name Aylo.
Aylo told The Sun that the safety of its online community was the “number one priority” and that it would fully cooperate with law enforcement on any investigations or legal matters.
The company also claimed that its Trust and Safety program had proven to be effective in taking down non-consensual content.
In a statement, Aylo – formerly MindGeek – said: “We take all allegations regarding non-consensual material extremely seriously.
“We have instituted policies that surpass those of any other user-generated platform on the internet to help mitigate the ability of bad actors to use our platform to take advantage of their victims.
“This includes, among other practices, our Content Removal Request Form, which, upon filling it out, empowers any user to automatically and instantaneously disable a piece of content, pending further review.
“Only verified users who have provided a government-issued ID that has been verified by a third party are able to upload content.
“All uploads are then reviewed by more than a dozen technologies and proprietary software, followed by human moderators.”
Regarding Jill Martin, Pornhub told The Sun that “based on the information available at this time” they could not “identify whether any content removal request was made.”
In March, The Sun spoke with a Pornhub moderator who said he was expected to look at 800 to 1,000 videos in an eight-hour shift to guess girls’ ages.
He said: “We were scrubbing through the videos as fast as we could.
“Even if we thought we were being diligent we missed videos every now and then.”
It’s not your shame to carry, it was never your shame to carry… I’m a big believer in taking your power back
Uldouz Wallace
Following the New York Times piece, payment processors Mastercard and Visa cut ties with Pornhub and CEO Feras Antoon and COO David Tassillo resigned from MindGeek.
The company was recently bought by private equity firm Ethical Capital Partners – a company with an advisory board completely made up of women.
Jill said: “I feel disgusted that these women would support such a company, I know that one of the women is now on OnlyFans.
“So many women and children have been abused and there are so many people that don’t believe that this company has illegal content.
“They think were fake and were trying to get some money out of them.”
Lawyers Brown Rudnick currently have an ongoing lawsuit with MindGeek and its various affiliates on behalf of 30 victims of child pornography, rape, and human trafficking.
Filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California, the complaint alleges that Pornhub and MindGeek knowingly profited from videos depicting rape, child sexual exploitation, revenge porn, trafficking, and other non-consensual sexual content.
A lawyer for Brown Rudnick Lauren Tabaksblat said: “With the filing of this suit, we want to put an end to these shameless attacks, give voice to these and other countless victims, and force MindGeek to adopt practices that ensure only consensual content is on its platform.”
Victims of cybersexual abuse can also get help at NCOSE and Protect America’s Daughters.
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
A recent Netflix documentary Money Shot exposed the dark truth behind the adult site[/caption]
MindGeek, the site that owns Pornhub, has recently rebranded as Aylo in a bid to clean up its image[/caption]
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