Police said Friday they have decided to prohibit their officials from using private email accounts on office computers as tension rises over North Korea's possible cyber attack.

The move came about two weeks after the National Police Agency announced that North Korean hackers allegedly sent massive amounts of spam emails to South Korean public organizations last month.

It was the latest in a series of hacking attacks on domestic public organizations in recent years, amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula following North Korea's fourth nuclear test.

Police said they will block access to the accounts at every office computer in the country's police stations starting next month, except for some departments, including investigative teams. Other officers will use the official email addresses given to them.

"We followed written advice sent by the National Intelligence Service," an official said.

North Korea has a track record of waging cyber attacks on South Korea and the United States in recent years, though it has flatly denied any involvement. (Yonhap)