North Korea Internet Links Restored Amid U.S. Hacking Dispute

SEOUL/WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - North Korea, at the center of a confrontation with the United States over the hacking of Sony Pictures, experienced a complete Internet outage for hours before links were restored on Tuesday, a U.S. company that monitors Internet infrastructure said.

New Hampshire-based Dyn said the reason for the outage was not known but could range from technological glitches to a hacking attack. Several U.S. officials close to the investigations of the attack on Sony Pictures said the U.S. government was not involved in any cyber action against Pyongyang.

Very few of its 24 million people have access to the Internet. However, major websites, including those of the KCNA state news agency, the main Rodong Sinmun newspaper and the main external public relations company went down for hours.

Almost all its Internet links and traffic pass through China, except, possibly, for some satellite links.

"North Korea has significantly less Internet to lose, compared to other countries with similar populations: Yemen (47 networks), Afghanistan (370 networks), or Taiwan (5,030 networks)," Dyn Research said in a report.

"And unlike these countries, North Korea maintains dependence on a single international provider, China Unicom."

source: www.huffingtonpost.com...


CNN is reporting that NK has four providers, all of which go through China. They are also suggesting the attack could have come from Botnets. The U.S. denies any involvement whatsoever.

Also:

"We're yet to see how stable the new connection is," Jim Cowie, chief scientist for the company, said in a telephone call after the services were restored.

"The question for the next few hours is whether it will return to the unstable fluctuations we saw before the outage."

Probably not such a big deal at this point, but thought I would post the update.

I suspect it is China slapping them down again because they can't go around threatening China's economic and trade interests, now can they?

Hey the world aught to take up a collection so the N. Koereans can have internet.

Its just not fair the poor people of N. Korea don't have this wonderful Internet

Their really missing some good porn, violence, irrelevant news, and other wonderful stuff

KCNA was fine for me yesterday.


It's down at the moment though.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

Several U.S. officials close to the investigations of the attack on Sony Pictures said the U.S. government was not involved in any cyber action against Pyongyang.

Lol, just occupying half their damn country is all.

a reply to: Willtell

Google had plans to deliver satellite internet to the world. At least places that do not have it and I believe NK was on that list.

If the people were not cut off from the world and could see what they are missing it would probably cause a revolt.

a reply to: Grimpachi

I wonder if those folks aren't so broken they are even capable of revolt. : (

There is an underground movement in North Korea. Once only has to watch the Vice News videos on North Korea to see that. Some foreign movies do get smuggled into North Korea, but one has to be very careful as if you are caught watching it in North Korea, then you would be frogged march to the nearest suitable wall or field and shot. No questions asked. The problem with organising a sustainable resistance movement in North Korea is that not only are those involved disposed of by means of firing squad or worse, but also three generations of the persons families will be condemned to a life of misery in a North Korean labour camp. Quite honestly when North Korea is freed and I believe that will happen one day, people will be horrified and shocked over the camps in North Korea as it is likely to be on a par with Nazi Germany.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

They are capable considering just about every male has served as a soldier at some point. Many, many years ago I was stationed in SK and the house boy for our barracks ( he wasn't a boy at all and we paid him to clean and press our uniforms) had been a North Korean that had escaped. It was very interesting to hear his stories though some stuff he wouldn't talk about, understandably.

He said the people there have been hoping the US would invade/liberate and most would simply lay down their weapons if it were to happen. If they had a way to communicate with the outside world such as the internet I am sure revolt would be organised as well as outside support.