Seoul: A North Korean hacking group built large language model tools and collected software that could help automate cyberattacks, analyse stolen material and produce more convincing phishing ‌campaigns, a South Korean cybersecurity firm said on Monday. The cybersecurity firm, Genians, said it found evidence that the North Korean-linked group Kimsuky had set up tools for running and managing AI models locally, including Ollama, GPT4All and Msty, alongside document ⁠search technology known as retrieval augmented generation (RAG). According to the company, the tools could allow operators to process documents without sending sensitive information to outside AI services. North Korea has for years ⁠used state-linked cyber units for espionage, financial theft and revenue generation, according to U.S. and South Korean authorities, as well ⁠as cybersecurity experts. The U.S. Treasury in 2023 sanctioned Kimsuky as a North Korean government-controlled cyber-espionage group, saying it gathered intelligence in support of Pyongyang's strategic objectives.