Investigation of the Internet infrastructure of North Korea, in particular, the Hani.star-star-star-co.net.kp revealed new details about the country’s instruments For remote access. It took VPN to visit the domain, which attracted attention to the question of how the DPRK controls Internet access.
In the post from the now remote profile on Reddit, one of the users asked how to get .KP domain. Although there were several answers, the author said that he was able to take possession of the domain, but to access the site a VPN is required. This raised intriguing questions about the use of VPN in North Korea.
The tightly controlled Internet environment of North Korea is based on certain access tools. One of these tools is Netkey, which authentic users within the country for Internet access. However, the researchers discovered another program called Hangro.
Hangro is a program associated with Internet operations of North Korea, which probably functions as a VPN. The exact purpose is still unclear, but historical data connect Hangro with four key IP addresses: two in North Korea and two in Russia. The certificates of these IP addresses are associated with the Hangro.net.kp domain, which, apparently, was used for remote access.
Experts suggest that Hangro is a client program that allows you to connect to specific North Korean servers, providing limited access to the KwangMyong internal network (quanmyon).
The standard Hangro configuration directs the connections to IP 218.25.43.212 through the port 8888. The reports indicate that the software is used to exchange electronic letters exclusively within the North Korean system. It is reported that companies pay $ 350 for access through consulates of North Korea in China.
The WHOIS data for Hangro.net for 2012 indicate Cho Meun Chol, a well -known defector from the DPRK. The poster registrar [email protected] is also related to other sites related to the DPRK, which confirms the state nature of the infrastructure. Communication with Silibank, apparently, points to the role of the company in the management of Internet resources of the country.
Although Hangro is often described as a tool for working with e -mail, further studies indicate the wider functionality of the program. In the next part of the investigation, the software will be examined in detail, as well as the use of northern Korea of external infrastructure to expand its digital presence.