Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
A poster for "The Interview." Photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
The Department of Justice announced Thursday it had filed a criminal complaint in June of this year against a North Korean and a North Korean entity for hacking Sony Pictures in 2014, digitally stealing millions of dollars from the bank of Bangladesh, the WannaCry malware attack in 2017 and other attacks.
Why it matters: Until now, North Korea had been the only country of the four major non-U.S. cyber powers that had not seen U.S. indictments, behind Iran, China and Russia.
The details: The Treasury Department will sanction Park Jin Hyok and Chosun Expo Joint Venture, an alleged front IT company. Park worked for North Korean governmental hacking group the Lazarus Group and is believed to be in North Korea.
According to the complaint: Park worked with several other conspirators. Crimes continued through 2018 and the investigation is ongoing. North Korea allegedly hacked Sony over the Seth Rogan movie "The Interview," which had been widely assumed to be the motive.
- During the attack on Sony, Lazarus allegedly sent spear-phishing emails to the UK-based production company Mammoth Screen and to AMC, which planned to show the movie.
Lazarus allegedly used the same aliases from Sony to attack Lockheed Martin, using a lure email of the THAAD missile defense system, per the complaint.
Lazarus was behind the 2017 WannaCry attack, causing billions of dollars in damages internationally. The WannaCry malware was meant to appear to be ransomware and briefly caused a massive disruption across the U.K. hospital system.