100. Five One Forty One
August 18th is the enlistment date.
Uncle Sangsu, who was driving, called me.
“ah… ! Jung Ho.”
“Yes, uncle.”
“What the hell is a decryption password? Is it RS? Is it RA? What are you saying… .”
“Perhaps… Are you talking about the RSA password?”
“that’s right! You know math, too! What the hell is that?”
Instantly, my eyes met with Youngmi sitting next to me, and Youngmi smiled slightly at me.
Youngmi and I are currently freshmen in the Department of Natural Sciences, and we have not decided on our major yet.
In other words, Young-mi’s smile means we’re not in the math department yet, but that’s not important right now… What.
I started explaining to my uncle’s question.
“RSA is a type of computer password used on the Internet. In a normal password, the locking key and the unlocking key are the same.”
“The key is… A passcode, are you talking about something like that?”
I shook my head at Uncle Sangsoo’s question and said,
“It’s not like that… Computer passwords usually use a lot of math or numbers.”
“ah… ! That’s why the math department deals with cryptography a lot.”
“yes that’s right.”
I continued the explanation.
“If the locking key and the unlocking key are the same, it is difficult to share the key with many people. If even one of those people exposes the key to the outside, the password will be broken.”
“then… Do the RSA passwords have different keys?”
“yes that’s right. So, the locking key can be disclosed to Internet web users. Instead, the key to unlocking it is known only to Internet web administrators.”
“ah… ! That’s fun.”
“A cryptographic system in which the locking key and the unlocking key are different, like RSA, are called decryption ciphers or asymmetric ciphers.”
“haha–! After listening to Jung-ho’s explanation, I now understand what the newspaper article was saying.”
“A newspaper article?”
“Yeah, because of the hacking problem these days, it seems that the US and Japan are not on good terms with each other.”
“Hacking? Are you saying you hacked the RSA password?”
“Yes, the US hacked 11 places simultaneously, including the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and even the university library… Then they said they had hacked the RSA password.”
“… !”
RSA is one of the most difficult ciphers to hack.
This is because checking a prime number with hundreds of digits one by one requires a tremendous amount of computation.
By the way, was there a simultaneous hacking in 11 places?
This doesn’t make sense.
Even in the United States with over 50 gigabytes of supercomputers.
The people who know the secret of the rejected function are me, In-cheol, and Professor Park Bo-soo… .
And there’s one more.
It’s the older sister of a major in Texas, USA.
For reference, the name of the rejection function, ‘Rejection’, was given because the major sister rejected it.
Anyway… I know the major older sister well, but she’s never going to use the reject function without telling me anything.
then… Maybe Incheol… ?
Uncle Sangsoo said that it was obviously hacked in the United States.
That being said, unless In-cheol doesn’t go to America… .
Incheol means clearly not.
I said to Uncle Sangsu.
“Mister, where did you read that newspaper article?”
“I saw it in the newspaper today. Where did you put the newspaper in the back seat? Isn’t there a newspaper in the seat pocket over there?”
At Uncle’s words, Youngmi found a newspaper and handed it to me, and I could find a fairly large article title on the second page of the newspaper.
＜The US-Japan hacking war begins to take on the form of a war of disclosure>
+ +
Japan is determined to avoid a diplomatic war with the United States.
The term ‘war’ is certainly not wrong.
The end of this hacking war began to come to the surface a week ago when the United States turned the US military and CIA hacking incidents into public investigation.
Two days ago, the Japanese government expressed strong regret for the interim announcement of the investigation by the US CIA, and yesterday, on August 17, an emergency press conference was held at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At a press conference, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Rinoie Kanyo announced that evidence had been found of the US hacking into a number of Japanese institutions.
The hacking in the United States was carried out simultaneously in a total of 11 locations between July 13th and 19th, a month ago.
– Cabinet Information Investigation Office
– Government archives directly under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
– Maritime Security Agency
– Maritime Self-Defense Forces
– Japan Geographical Institute under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
– Kobe Maritime Museum
– Tokyo University Library
– Japanese Naval Academy
– Tokyo Maritime University Archives
– Tokyo Fisheries University Library
– Osaka University Department of Ocean Geography Archive
Among them, in the hacking of the Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archives, the Maritime Security Agency, and the Maritime Self-Defense Force, it is said that the decrypted RSA code, which is virtually impossible to crack, was decrypted.
Judging from the fact that such a large-scale hacking took place in just 7 days between the 13th and the 19th, it is the position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan that systematic hacking at the national level is clear.
read at noblemtl.com
Not only that, a spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Ministry provided evidence of these hacking incidents.
The evidence presented was part of the Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Office’s backup access log record, which was an IP address left by a hacker.
In other words, Japan’s claim is that the US FBI hacked a number of Japanese government agencies and educational institutions.
“The Japanese investigative agency has been investigating this hacking case for the past month,” said Renoie Kanyo, spokesperson for the hacking case.
+ +
To summarize the contents of the newspaper article, it means that the United States hacked Japan first.
After that, Japan found out that the hacker was a member of the US FBI, and in the United States, it means that in response to this, the US forces in Japan and the CIA hacking case were fabricated and leaked to the media.
By the way… .
When the FBI tried to hack, did you hack with your own IP?
So the FBI IP was left in the access log?
It’s not a comedy… .
This doesn’t make sense.
read at noblemtl.com
Nevertheless, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs even held a press conference to announce this fact.
This means that it is clear that the FBI IP address was left behind.
Then there is only one possible explanation.
The hacker intentionally left the FBI IP.
But is it easy to leave FBI IP in log records?
Absolutely not.
It means that you accessed a Japanese agency through a computer inside the FBI. In order to do this, you must first hack the FBI server.
Another method is to plant malicious code on a computer inside the FBI, and then use the malicious code to access the hacking target.
It would be virtually impossible to hack into the FBI servers, and the hackers planted malicious code on computers inside the FBI… .
How the hell did you plant it?
I checked the first sentence of the newspaper article again.
‘Japan is a tough figure that it is willing to fight a diplomatic war with the United States.’
The reporter got this completely wrong.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry’s press conference is not to declare war on the United States, but to inform the United States that the FBI has been hacked.
read at noblemtl.com
Nevertheless, the Japanese government’s tough stance is probably for two reasons.
First, it is to show the Japanese people how to confront the United States.
Second, it is to make the real culprit of the hacking case unattended.
Judging from the fact that they even held a press conference like this, it is clear that the Japanese government has quite a bit of information about the true culprit of the hacking incident.
We arrived in Nonsan and found a bulgogi restaurant.
But what kind of bulgogi costs 25,000 won per person?
It was very expensive, but the taste of bulgogi is the worst ever.
While muttering the chewy, chewy bulgogi, my mother said to me.
“Jeongho, seeing bulgogi reminds me of you, did you tell the Major in the US that you are going to the army?”
I said as I swallowed the lump of bulgogi in my mouth.
“sure. I just contacted you via email.”
Mother nodded and said.
“But, Major… Didn’t you say that you’re coming to Seoul for a year next year?”
“yes that’s right.”
Major older sister will be promoted to associate professor on September 1st, and at the same time as promotion, she will receive tenure, a tenure professorship.
And from January to December of next year, he was given a sabbatical for one year, and he said that he planned to spend the sabbatical year at his alma mater, the Department of Mathematics, Korea University.
For reference, the paper that David McLean hacked and stole the major’s sister’s computer three years ago was canceled, and the older sister was able to publish the paper in a good journal.
At that time, David’s hacking crime was reported to the FBI, thanks to an ingenious method devised by Incheol.
This is the so-called Trojan Horse tactic.
The malicious code was planted in the major’s sister’s thesis file, and the moment David McLean, who stole the file, opened the file, Incheol’s malicious code was activated, and all hacking records on David’s computer were sent to the FBI.
At that time, Incheol showed a meaningful smile and said sweet things to me, who stuck out his tongue saying it was an amazing method.
‘Hehehe—-! The truth is… I put another Trojan horse inside the Trojan horse.’
While chewing the bulgogi… .
I felt my brain flash.
Choi In-cheol… this… crazy… child… !
Another Trojan Horse inside the Trojan Horse.
A Trojan horse was transferred from the major’s sister’s computer to David McLean’s computer, and another Trojan horse inside… .
It was passed from David’s computer to the FBI’s computer.
In other words, Incheol’s malicious code was planted on the FBI’s internal computer.
I remembered the e-mail conversation I had with In-cheol over the past two months.
A whopping 4096-bit RSA cryptographic certificate… .
The value of the rejection function I sent to Incheol… .
Hacking incidents across Japan… .
U.S. forces in Japan stationed in Okinawa where In-cheol went to play… .
And even the malicious code contained in a confidential document sent to the CIA by US forces in Japan… .
My mind was blown.
Judging from the contents of the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, it is clear that Japanese investigative agencies are paying attention to some extent.
“Jeong-ho, are you okay? I don’t eat rice… Why is your expression so serious?”
At the mother’s words, Uncle Sangsoo sighed deeply and said.
“Eww! It’s just before enlistment, and there’s no way that a good expression will come out.”
Uncle Sangsu continued talking to me.
“Jeong-ho, time goes fast. If you go to bed after training camp, get a private right away, and go on a regular vacation for a private… .”
“Uncle, can I borrow your phone for a minute?”
“cellphone? Yes, yes, yes.”
After receiving the uncle’s phone, I went out of the restaurant and called.
A high-pitched male voice was heard along with the reception tone.
– Yes, it is KJ Pharmaceuticals. How can I help you?
I said with strength in my voice.
“My name is Chae Jeong-ho. Please pass it on to Team Leader Kim Jung-soo.”
There was silence for a moment, and a low-pitched voice from the other side came out.
-Say it.
“Choi In-cheol is in danger. The Japanese government seems to have more information than they announced yesterday. Please pass this on to Team Leader Kim Jung-soo in Japan.”
* * *
2 months later.
The 523th North Korean Interception Unit within the jurisdiction of the 25th Division in Yangju, Gyeonggi-do.
After the interview with the deputy commander was over, the administrative officer took me into the quarter.
“A new patient has arrived.”
A total of 7 soldiers were watching TV in the quarter, and when the administrator said that a new recruit had arrived, 6 people except for one who sat upright looked at me.
They turned their heads back to the TV as if they weren’t interested.
It seems that the story the deputy commander told me a while ago is correct.
It is said that when a new recruit arrives, they are treated as an invisible person until just before the roll call that day.
The magistrate pointed to me at the empty hall and said,
“Sit quietly over there.”
“yes! All right!”
How much time has passed… .
Said the soldier who was lying on the bed watching a music show on TV.
“Hey, owl number 541.”
The soldier, who was sitting upright and watching TV, raised his voice and sang.
“yes! Owl number 541!”
“I just called Jo Sung-mo’s ＜Do You Know> as our deputy commander’s version. practice!”
“practice! Big!”
The soldier cleared his voice and started singing.
“You know–me. How much– how much did you love me? Tears come to my eyes every time I see you.”
The soldiers who were watching TV together turned over and started laughing.
Really… .
It seemed as if the deputy platoon leader, whom I had interviewed a while ago, was singing directly.
I bit my molars to hold back my laughter, and the song ran towards its climax.
“If you ask me why he didn’t–gimmick— why didn’t he— my heart hurts– I can’t answer anything— haha—you know—.”
“Fuhh—!”
People’s eyes focused on me at the sound of laughter, and one of them spoke to the singing soldier.
“uh? Wait, pause.”
“yes! Pause!”
“Maknae, the recruit over there smiles at you.”
At his words, the soldier who mimicked the vocal cords turned and looked at me.
“… !”
“In, Incheol-ah!”