Google says North Korea-backed hackers sought cyber research Experts say the attacks reflect North Korean efforts to improve its cyber skills and be able to breach widely used computer products. Author: KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press Published: 5:10 AM CST January 27, 2021 Updated: 5:10 AM CST January 27, 2021 SEOUL, South Korea — Editor's Note: The video above is from Dec. 17, 2020. Google says it believes hackers backed by the North Korean government have been posing as computer security bloggers and using fake accounts on social media while attempting to steal information from researchers in the field. Google didn’t specify how successful the hackers were or what kind of information could have been compromised. Experts say the attacks reflect North Korean efforts to improve its cyber skills and be able to breach widely used computer products, such as Google’s Chrome internet browser and Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system.