Ullim Explained

Manufacturer:Pyongyang Informatics Company
Os:Android
Release Date:2014

Ullim (Korean:울림) is a brand name of a Android-based tablet computers family which is sold in North Korea. The tablets are marketed and sold by Pyongyang Informatics Company. "Ullim" means "echo" in Korean.[1]

The "Ullim" tablet is one of four tablet devices marketed by separate companies in North Korea. It is on sale for 120 US dollars for a 7 inch model, and 210 US dollars for a 10.1 inch model. Both units have a 1.5ghz (gigahertz) dual core CPU (central processing unit).

History

The first Ullim tablet were introduced in 2014. The tablet is based on a tablet called Z100 which is produced by Chinese company called Hoozo. However tablets are modified as to give North Korean greater control over who can access to intranet.[2]

In 2015, the tablet started production.[3]

In 2016, it was reported that the demand for the tablet exceeded the available supply. In response, the government restricted sales of the device. The state also mandated that nobody can buy more than one tablet. This resulted in used tablets being sold roughly for original price.[4]

Applications and Software

The operating system on which tablet runs is Android version 4.4.2 "KitKat". It has modifications which gives the government significantly more control over by whom can the intranet be accessed. Users require a dongle to access intranet by WiFi, LAN or dial-up.[5]

The tablet have basic apps like gallery though none of the Google apps such as Gmail are available. Applications for education, cooking and games are pre-installed. The tablet PC can access intranet through Wi-Fi. It's also loaded with a local set of apps to match Microsoft Office - North Korea's software suite called "Changdok".[6]

The tablet has a level of surveillance and control which was not previously seen in North Korean electronics.[7]

Red Flag program which runs as a background process captures a screenshot every time the user opens an application, records the browser history and ensures that the core operating system is not modified. The installation of applications is limited to an approved whitelist.[8] [9]

The devices also come with "Trace Viewer": software that stores data and prevents users from deleting data.[10]

The tablet is able to access media only if it has the digital certificate either NATISIGN (authorized by the North Korean government) or SELFSIGN (created on the tablet itself).[11]

Watermarking of created files. Each of the created documents contains "fingerprints" of the device/owner.[12]

References

  1. News: All That Glitters Is Not Gold: A Closer Look at North Korea's Ullim Tablet . Martyn . Williams . . 3 March 2017 . 8 January 2020 . 23 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201223091354/https://www.38north.org/2017/03/mwilliams030317/ . live .
  2. Web site: Doctorow . Cory . 2017-12-26 . Seven Awful DRM Moments from the Year (and Two Bright Spots!): 2017 in Review . 2023-11-06 . Electronic Frontier Foundation . en . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141638/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/seven-awful-drm-moments-2017-and-two-bright-spots . live .
  3. Web site: Doctorow . Cory . May 1, 2017 . Even by North Korean standards, the DPRK's Ullim tablet is creepily surveillant . Boing Boing . August 1, 2023 . August 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230801102109/https://boingboing.net/2017/05/01/red-flag-and-trace-viewer.html . live .
  4. News: Mi Jin . Kang . 5 August 2016 . Demand for 'Ullim' tablet among youth exceeds supply . . 8 January 2020 . 5 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221105030636/https://www.dailynk.com/english/demand-for-ullim-tablet-among-yout/ . live .
  5. Rot . Artur . Olszewski . Boguslaw . 2017-09-24 . Advanced Persistent Threats Attacks in Cyberspace. Threats, Vulnerabilities, Methods of Protection . Annals of Computer Science and Information Systems . Position Papers of the 2017 Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems . 12 . 113–117 . PTI . 10.15439/2017f488. 978-83-922646-0-6 . free .
  6. Web site: 北 태블릿PC 사용해보니…'김일성 저작'이 기본 앱. 2014-08-03. Yonhap News Agency. 2021-11-22. 2022-11-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20221105070023/https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20140801123900014. live.
  7. Web site: Williams . Martyn . 2017-03-09 . A Closer Look at North Korea's Ullim Tablet . 2023-11-06 . . en-US . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141632/https://www.northkoreatech.org/2017/03/10/closer-look-north-koreas-ullim-tablet/ . live .
  8. Web site: A glimpse at tech inside North Korea. - Free Online Library . 2023-11-06 . www.thefreelibrary.com . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141629/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+glimpse+at+tech+inside+North+Korea-a0496776928 . live .
  9. Web site: Project Reveal. New research into North Korea s digital control system. Martyn Williams and Niklaus Schiess PROJECT REVEAL 1 - PDF Free Download . 2023-11-06 . docplayer.net . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141630/https://docplayer.net/234678179-Project-reveal-new-research-into-north-korea-s-digital-control-system-martyn-williams-and-niklaus-schiess-project-reveal-1.html . live .
  10. Web site: Ven . Emi van de . 2023-03-28 . Censuur in Noord-Korea: ongekende macht van de Kim-dynastie . 2023-11-06 . VPNGids.nl . nl . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141630/https://www.vpngids.nl/unblock/censuur/internetcensuur-noord-korea/ . live .
  11. Web site: An Assessment of Nor An Assessment of North Korean Thr ean Threats and V eats and Vulnerabilities in abilities in Cyberspace . 2023-11-06 . 2023-11-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231106141629/https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4224&context=theses . live .
  12. Web site: Всё идёт по плану . 2023-11-06 . znoxx.me . en . 2021-05-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210517122052/https://znoxx.me/2017/03/24/vsio-idiot-po-planu/ . live .

See also

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ullim".

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