Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)

In June 2021, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), a South Korea-based maritime and defense contractor, fell victim to a sophisticated cyber-attack. The hackers, suspected to be state-affiliated actors from North Korea or China, infiltrated the company’s computer systems but failed to exfiltrate any data. Investigations revealed that the attackers were specifically targeting classified information related to South Korea’s nuclear submarine program, a critical defense asset. This incident marked the second cyber-attack on DSME, raising concerns about persistent vulnerabilities in its cybersecurity infrastructure. While no data breach or operational disruption was confirmed, the attack underscored the high strategic stakes involved, given the sensitive nature of the targeted information. The lack of compromised data suggests the attackers were either probing for weaknesses or were interrupted before achieving their objectives. However, the mere attempt to access nuclear submarine-related intelligence highlights the geopolitical and military implications of the breach, as such data could be leveraged for espionage or sabotage. The incident also reinforced the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures in defense-related industries, particularly those handling classified military technology.

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/south-korean-shipbuilder-dsme-confirms-new-possible-cyber-attack

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/doec

"id": "doe846092125",
"linkid": "doec",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "6/2021",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "2",
"explanation": "Attack limited on finance or reputation"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Shipbuilding / Defense',
                        'location': 'South Korea',
                        'name': 'Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering '
                                '(DSME)',
                        'type': 'Corporation'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Attempted (no success)',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'None'},
 'date_detected': '2021-06',
 'description': 'In June 2021, South-Korea based Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine '
                'Engineering (DSME) was hacked by unknown attackers, '
                'reportedly from North Korea or China. The hackers infiltrated '
                "DSME's computer systems but did not compromise any data. "
                'Reports indicate they were seeking information related to '
                'South Korea’s nuclear submarine program. This marks the '
                'second cyber-attack DSME has suffered.',
 'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential (due to repeated attacks and '
                                       'espionage concerns)',
            'data_compromised': 'None',
            'systems_affected': ['Computer systems (unspecified)']},
 'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['Nuclear submarine program '
                                                  'information']},
 'motivation': 'Espionage (targeting nuclear submarine program information)',
 'threat_actor': ['North Korea (suspected)', 'China (suspected)'],
 'title': 'Cyber Attack on Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME)',
 'type': 'Cyber Espionage / Unauthorized Access'}