Hackers suspected to have links to North Korea have stolen call recordings, photos, videos, and messages from the phones of South Korean diplomatic and defense officials, cybersecurity researchers in Seoul told NK News this week.

“The hacker lured them to download apps disguised as security messengers, pretending to be reporting insider information about North Korea,” ESTsecurity Director Mun Chong Hyun explained.

Once installed, the app uploaded sensitive data from compromised phones to at least seven servers controlled by the attackers. 

The attackers reportedly also targeted South Korean media organizations, though ESTsecurity did not disclose which companies and government agencies the