South Korea on alert after cyber attacks

SEOUL - Agence France-Presse

A number of official South Korean websites were hacked. AP photo

South Korea has issued a cyber attack alert after hackers penetrated a number of official websites, including the presidential Blue House, on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

“The government can confirm a cyber attack by unidentified hackers that shut down several sites including the Blue House,” the Science Ministry said in a statement, adding that the five-stage national cyber alert had been raised from level one to two.

A number of news media websites and several government agencies, including the office for Government Policy Coordination and the ruling New Frontier Party, were also affected by what seemed to be a coordinated attack. The hacking coincided with the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25, 1950.

The ministry statement did not speculate on who might be responsible. Investigations into several recent large-scale cyber assaults concluded that they originated in North Korea.