Report: North Korean Cyber Attack Could Take Down US Pacific Command

A full-scale cyber strike by North Korea could potentially knock out the computer network of the U.S. Pacific Command and even damage the power grid on the U.S. mainland, a South Korean newspaper reported.

The Korea Herald reported the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DATQ) cited a Pentagon simulation showing the possibly crippling effects of a cyber attack by Pyongyang.

The DATQ report said North Korea's cyberattack capabilities have come under closer scrutiny after a 2013 attack on three major South Korean banks, their affiliates, and three TV broadcasters, infecting 48,000 computers with malicious codes and causing $756 million in damage.

North Korea also has been accused of a 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures.

Earlier this month, the South Korean military reported its cyber command was breached by North Korea, the BBC reported.

North Korea has around 6,800 cyber warfare specialists, according to the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, and some experts believe there could be as many as 30,000 hackers in its employ, the Korea Herald reported.

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