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Digital Cooperation Organization to Hold 3rd General Assembly in Bahrain 

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Digital Cooperation Organization to Hold 3rd General Assembly in Bahrain 

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)
Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday. (SPA)

Bahrain will host the 3rd General Assembly of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) on Wednesday.

Chaired by Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and DCO Chair of the Council Mohammed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, the event will discuss the organization's plans and initiatives aimed at promoting digital prosperity.

In a statement, DCO said ministers and officials representing the 15 DCO Member States and DCO's Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya, high-level delegations from partners and observers, representatives from guest countries and international organizations will attend the event.

They are expected to discuss strategic initiatives to foster global digital cooperation, shed light on the status of the digital economy and ways to overcome challenges faced in achieving inclusive and sustainable growth in this vital sector.

Bharani Minister Mohammed Al Kaabi said: "We are honored to host the 3rd General Assembly of the DCO, bringing together Member States and distinguished guests to discuss achievements and kick off new initiatives that aim to achieve digital prosperity and growth."

Through joint international action and fruitful cooperation, the General Assembly will seek to promote inclusive and sustainable growth of digital transformation and maximize all countries' gains from the opportunities and initiatives available to develop the digital economy, he added.

As a founding member of the DCO, Bahrain is committed to sharing its knowledge and expertise that has contributed to enhancing its economic growth, he stated.

During Bahrain's 2023 presidency, Qatar and Bangladesh joined the DCO as new Member States. Manama also launched the Digital Prosperity Awards to encourage cooperation and facilitate innovation and digital transformation among Member States.

Secretary-General AlYahya emphasized the importance of holding the General Assembly in Manama, saying: "Digital cooperation is essential for harnessing the benefits arising from the opportunities presented by the digital economy.”

“The 3rd General Assembly will serve as a strategic platform for the participation of Member State governments, the private sector, and civil society in drawing a roadmap for the current year. This includes addressing growing challenges and exploiting opportunities to facilitate digital prosperity for all,” she stated.

She added that she was looking forward to meeting with all representatives from DCO members observers, partners, and guests in Manama to review 2023 DCO achievements and to discuss 2024 initiatives, serving to propel the organization toward accomplishing the goals outlined in its 2030 Strategic Roadmap.

The General Assembly will explore the growth of markets and their impact on the digital economy; the value of data as a strategic resource in the digital age and how to use it effectively to achieve growth; and ways to achieve a sustainable digital economy contributing to improving the quality of life and emphasizing the pivotal role of humans as an essential element in the development process.

The General Assembly will discuss the DCO's plan for 2024 and new initiatives that it will implement as part of its 2030 Strategic Roadmap to advance global digital cooperation towards an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. It will also discuss financial and administrative reports submitted by the organization's General Secretariat.

The previous DCO General Assembly was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2023. The DCO brings together ministries of communications and information technology from 15 countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cyprus, Djibouti, Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar and Rwanda.

Together, DCO Member States represent more than $3.3 trillion in GDP and a market of nearly 800 million people, more than 70% of whom are under the age of 35.

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North Korean Charged in Cyberattacks on US Hospitals, NASA and Military Bases

A man who allegedly carried out cybercrimes for a North Korean military intelligence agency has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack hospitals and health care providers in several US states. - The AP
A man who allegedly carried out cybercrimes for a North Korean military intelligence agency has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack hospitals and health care providers in several US states. - The AP
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North Korean Charged in Cyberattacks on US Hospitals, NASA and Military Bases

A man who allegedly carried out cybercrimes for a North Korean military intelligence agency has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack hospitals and health care providers in several US states. - The AP
A man who allegedly carried out cybercrimes for a North Korean military intelligence agency has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack hospitals and health care providers in several US states. - The AP

A North Korean military intelligence operative has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, US military bases and international entities, stealing sensitive information and installing ransomware to fund more attacks, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

The indictment of Rim Jong Hyok by a grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, accuses him of laundering the money through a Chinese bank and then using it to buy computer servers and fund more cyberattacks on defense, technology and government entities around the world.

The hacks on American hospitals and other health care providers disrupted the treatment of patients, officials said. He's accused of targeting 17 entities across 11 US states, including NASA and US military bases, as well as defense and energy companies in China, Taiwan and South Korea, according to The AP.

For more than three months, Rim and other members of the Andariel Unit of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau had access to NASA’s computer system, extracting over 17 gigabytes of unclassified data, the indictment says. They also reached inside computer systems for defense companies in Michigan and California, as well as Randolph Air Force base in Texas and Robins Air Force base in Georgia, authorities say.

The malware enabled the state-sponsored Andariel group to send stolen information to North Korean military intelligence, furthering the country’s military and nuclear aspirations, federal prosecutors said. They've gone after details of fighter aircraft, missile defense systems, satellite communications and radar systems, a senior FBI official said.

“While North Korea uses these types of cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions, the impact of these wanton acts have a direct impact on the citizens of Kansas,” said Stephen A. Cyrus, an FBI agent based in Kansas City.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Rim, who has lived in North Korea and worked at the military intelligence agency’s offices in both Pyongyang and Sinuiju, according to court records. A reward of up to $10 million has been offered for information that could lead to him or other foreign government operatives who target critical US infrastructure.

The Justice Department has prosecuted multiple cases related to North Korean hacking, often alleging a profit-driven motive that sets the nation's cybercriminals apart from hackers in Russia and China. In 2021, for instance, the department charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of hacks including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio and the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1.3 billion from banks and companies around the world.

In this case, the FBI was alerted by a Kansas medical center that was hit in May 2021. Hackers had encrypted its files and servers, blocking access to patient files, laboratory test results and computers needed to operate hospital equipment. A Colorado health care provider was affected by the same Maui ransomware variant.

A ransom note sent to the Kansas hospital demanded Bitcoin payments valued then at about $100,000, to be sent to a cryptocurrency address.

“Otherwise all of your files will be posted in the Internet which may lead you to loss of reputation and cause the troubles for your business,” the note reads. “Please do not waste your time! You have 48 hours only! After that the Main server will double your price.”

Federal investigators said they traced blockchains to follow the money: An unnamed co-conspirator transferred the Bitcoin to a virtual currency address belonging to two Hong Kong residents before it was converted into Chinese currency and transferred to a Chinese bank. The money was then accessed from an ATM in China next to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting China and North Korea, according to court records.

In 2022, the Justice Department said the FBI seized approximately $500,000 in ransom payments from the money laundering accounts, including the entire ransom payment from the hospital.

An arrest of Rim is unlikely, so the biggest outcome of the indictment is that it may lead to sanctions that could cripple the ability of North Korea to collect ransoms this way, which could in turn remove the motivation to conduct cyber attacks on entities like hospitals in the future, according to Allan Liska, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

“Now, unfortunately, that will force them to do more cryptocurrency theft. So it’s not going to stop their activity. But the hope is that we won’t have hospitals disrupted by ransomware attacks because they’ll know that they can’t get paid,” Liska said.

He also noted that a Chinese entity was among the victims and questioned what the country, which is an ally of North Korea, thinks of being targeted.

“China can’t be too thrilled about that,” he said.