The connection from Russian TransTeleCom began appearing in internet routing databases at 10.08pm GMT, around 5.38pm Pyongyang time, on Sunday evening.
Internet users in North Korea and those accessing websites run by the Kim Jong-un’s regime were all funnelled along the same route connecting the North Korean ISP and the global internet, which is a China Unicom link that has been in operation since 2010.
Doug Madory, who analyses global Internet connectivity at Renesys, said: “The addition of Russian transit would create new internet path out of the country, increasing its resilience and international bandwidth capacity.”
This is despite UN sanctions against the hermit kingdom after it carried out a series of nuclear missile tests.
The new internet path comes just hours after US Cyber Command conducted denial of service attacks against North Korean hackers associated with despotic nation’s intelligence agency.
The Washington Post reported that the attack was due to end on Saturday.
This means the new Russian connection went online after the US Cyber Command attack ended.
TransTeleCom is one of Russia’s biggest telecommunications companies and is a subsidiary of Russian Railways.
North Korea’s reliance on one internet service provider has left them vulnerable to attacks numerous times before.
Most of the attacks were claimed by the “Anonymous” hacking collective.
North Korea has few internet users, but access to the network is available to major universities, foreigners via smartphone, Government departments, and major companies.
Elite families are suspected of having access too.
Robert Hannigan, who ran the UK’s signals intelligence agency for three years claims the reclusive regime is attempting to improve its hacking abilities by collaborating with Iran and criminal networks operating from southeast Asia and China.
Mr Hannigan said: “Their missiles are not going to reach the UK but their cyber-attacks did reach the NHS and other parts of Europe.
“As sanctions bite further and North Korea becomes more desperate for foreign currency, they will get more aggressive and continue to come after the finance sector. They are after our money.”
The former GCHQ chief has also warned that the West’s ability to effectively deal with cyber-aggression from North Korea would be “limited” because the hermit kingdom is not “networked” and so is not majorly vulnerable to western cyber-attacks