Ullim

Ullim
ManufacturerPyongyang Informatics Company
Release date2014
Operating systemAndroid
CPU@ 1.5 GHz

Ullim (Korean: 울림, lit. 'echo') is a brand name of an Android-based tablet computers family which is sold in North Korea. The tablets are marketed and sold by Pyongyang Informatics Company.[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 1.5-GHz (gigahertz) dual core CPU (central processing unit).[2]

History

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The first of the Ullium tablet line were introduced in 2014. The tablet is based on a tablet called Z100 which is produced by Chinese company called Hoozo. The tablets, however, are modified for greater control, over the government-approved intranet Kwangmyong.[3]

In 2015, the tablet started production.[4]

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.[5]

Applications and software

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The operating system on which the 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 Wi-Fi, LAN or dial-up.[6]

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 the Kwangmyong intranet through Wi-Fi. It is also loaded with a local set of apps to match Microsoft Office – North Korea's software suite called "Changdok".[7]

The tablet has a level of surveillance and control which was not previously seen in North Korean electronics.[8]

The "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.[9][10]

The devices also come with "Trace Viewer": software that stores data and prevents users from deleting data.[11]

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).[12]

The table features watermarking of created files. Each of the created documents contains "fingerprints" of the device/owner.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Williams, Martyn (3 March 2017). "All That Glitters Is Not Gold: A Closer Look at North Korea's Ullim Tablet". 38 North. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  2. ^ North Korean tablet can connect to local intranet, but isolated from internet. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  3. ^ Doctorow, Cory (26 December 2017). "Seven Awful DRM Moments from the Year (and Two Bright Spots!): 2017 in Review". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  4. ^ Doctorow, Cory (1 May 2017). "Even by North Korean standards, the DPRK's Ullim tablet is creepily surveillant". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  5. ^ Mi Jin, Kang (5 August 2016). "Demand for 'Ullim' tablet among youth exceeds supply". Daily NK. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  6. ^ Rot, Artur; Olszewski, Boguslaw (24 September 2017). "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. PTI: 113–117. doi:10.15439/2017f488. ISBN 978-83-922646-0-6.
  7. ^ 北 태블릿PC 사용해보니…'김일성 저작'이 기본 앱. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 3 August 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  8. ^ Williams, Martyn (9 March 2017). "A Closer Look at North Korea's Ullim Tablet". North Korea Tech. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  9. ^ "A glimpse at tech inside North Korea". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Project Reveal. New research into North Korea s digital control system. Martyn Williams and Niklaus Schiess PROJECT REVEAL 1". docplayer.net. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  11. ^ Ven, Emi van de (28 March 2023). "Censuur in Noord-Korea: ongekende macht van de Kim-dynastie". VPNGids.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  12. ^ "An Assessment of North Korean Threats and Vulnerabilities in Cyberspace". Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  13. ^ Всё идёт по плану. znoxx.me (in Russian). Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2023.


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