US warns against 'Hidden Cobra' cyber attacks by North Korea

Warning of cyber attacks from North Korea, the United States has issued a hacking alert for sites connected to the media, infrastructure, financial networks and aerospace industries.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have issued a cyber alert against a malicious attack known as "Hidden Cobra" from locations within North Korea, reports Sputnik.

The FBI and the DHS detailed that internet protocol (IP) addresses previously associated with malware referred to as "DeltaCharlie," a software tool known to have been used by Pyongyang to run distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet attacks, were associated with Hidden Cobra, according to the alert cited by Korea Times.

"If users or administrators detect the custom tools indicative of HIDDEN COBRA, these tools should be immediately flagged, reported to the DHS National Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Center (NCCIC) or the FBI Cyber Watch (CyWatch), and given highest priority for enhanced mitigation," the alert said, according to Korea Times.