Hey followers, Nuked here! Ready for a tech adventure with a twist of hacker heroism? Today, let’s dive into a wild story of hackers breaking into North Korean cyber operations — and exposing secrets they say the regime wanted to keep hidden.

Earlier this year, two hackers stumbled onto a very important computer — allegedly belonging to a North Korean government hacker. They dug deeper and found evidence linking this hacker to North Korea’s spying activities, hacking tools, and infrastructure used for cyber warfare. Saber, one of the hackers, told TechCrunch they stayed inside the hacker’s computer for about four months, but once they understood what they’d uncovered, they knew they had to leak it to the public to shed light on these covert operations.

Saber expressed frustration over nation-state hackers hacking for malicious reasons, saying, “They are hacking for all the wrong reasons, and I hope more of them get exposed.” He and cyb0rg published detailed findings in the legendary hacking magazine Phrack, revealing insights into North Korea’s cyber strategies.

Cybersecurity experts constantly track North Korean hacking groups involved in espionage and large-scale crypto heists. These operations include pretending to be remote IT workers to fund the regime’s nuclear ambitions. Saber and cyb0rg took things further—they hacked the hackers themselves—potentially revealing how these government-backed groups operate daily, offering valuable insights to cybersecurity communities.

The hackers prefer to remain anonymous, using handles like Saber and cyb0rg, mainly for safety reasons. Saber considers himself a hacktivist, inspired by legendary figures such as Phineas Fisher, known for hacking government spy tools and exposing misconduct.

Saber and cyb0rg knew their actions were illegal but felt it was crucial to make the information public. “Keeping it for ourselves wouldn’t help anyone,” Saber said. Their goal was to help researchers detect North Korean hackers and possibly disable their access, aiming to make a real difference in cybersecurity defense.

Interestingly, Saber suspects that the hacker they called “Kim,” who works for North Korea, might actually be Chinese, based on behavioral clues during their analysis. They believe Kim may be operating in China, translating documents into Chinese via Google Translate and not working during Chinese holidays. Saber never tried to contact Kim, feeling he wouldn’t listen and is only serving his leaders’ interests.

During their operation, evidence of Kim’s active hacking against South Korea and Taiwan surfaced. Saber and cyb0rg contacted and alerted the targeted companies. Despite the risks, Saber is confident that their hacking activities will not lead to retaliation, emphasizing their focus on increasing awareness and defense.

In the end, Saber, cyb0rg, and others like them illustrate the complex world of cyber espionage, hacking for activism, and the ongoing battle of transparency versus secrecy. Their work highlights the importance of exposing cyber threats to protect global security, even if it means risking the wrath of powerful regimes.