Gov't to monitor cyberattacks utilizing IoT devices

Published : Feb 28, 2017 - 10:54 Updated : Feb 28, 2017 - 10:54

The government will come up with a monitoring system linked to Internet of Things devices by May to detect various cyberattacks from both home and abroad, the science ministry said Tuesday.

A set of measures was discussed during a meeting attended by officials from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Korea Internet and Security Agency, the ministry said.

(Yonhap)

The measure comes amid worries that a series of so-called distributed denial of service attacks on infrastructure systems may occur just ahead of a presidential race in the country.

The DDoS attacks may occur with the aim of stirring up political and social instability, as South Korea may hold the next presidential election if President Park Geun-hye's impeachment motion is adopted by the Constitutional Court.

Under the measures, IoT-enabled devices will immediately treat losses incurred from the DDoS attacks with the help of both the government and 11 private telecommunication companies.

The IoT refers to a network of physical objects, including vehicles, buildings and electronic devices, connected to the Internet to exchange data. It allows such objects to be sensed and controlled remotely.

North Korea has a track record of waging cyberattacks against the South in recent years. North Korea launched a cyberattack against South Korea in July 2009, two months after its second nuclear test. It also hacked South Korean media organizations in March 2013, a month after its third nuclear test. (Yonhap)