ABSTRACT
In defiance of sanctions placed on it by the US and UN, North Korea has used cyberspace to launch sophisticated cyberattacks on financial institutions in the US and through cryptocurrency exchanges to generate income. The use of cryptocurrencies is more difficult to detect, trace as with the use of traditional banks and is the main motive for North Korea's large-scale cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges such as Bitcoin. The sanction-busting cyberattacks for illegal financial gain are linked to cyberwarfare for the illicit monies are used in large part to fund nuclear missile programmes that the US and UN are trying to stop. Mr Burt, Microsoft Corporate Vice-President, further narrowed the focus of the cyberattacks to the three countries targeting NGOs, think-tanks that work with US political campaigns. The use of bots has accelerated in the US to try an influence peoples' opinions on particular matters and can be used to influence elections or geo-political issues that can be targeted in cyberwarfare.
