[10][11][12] Version 3, like its predecessors, utilizes Wine, a compatibility layer that allows Windows programs to be run under Linux.

[16][17][18] The Japan-based North Korea-affiliated newspaper Choson Sinbo interviewed two Red Star OS programmers in June 2006.

[6] English-language technology blogs, including Engadget and OSnews, as well as South Korean wire services such as Yonhap, went on to repost the content.

[24] The system is known to watermark all files on portable media attached to computers[25] in order to aid in tracking the underground market of USB flash drives used to exchange foreign films, music and writing.

If a user tries to disable security functions, an error message will appear on the computer, or the operating system will crash and reboot.

In addition, a watermarking tool integrated into the system marks all media content with the hard drive's serial number, allowing the North Korean authorities to trace the spread of files.

The system also has hidden "antivirus" software that is capable of removing censored files that are remotely stored by the North Korean Secret Service.

According to The Pyongyang Times, an official version of Red Star OS 4.0 had been developed by January 2019, with full network support as well as system and service management tools.

[29] In June and July 2020, South Korea's NKEconomy (NK경제) obtained a copy of Red Star OS 4.0 and have published articles about it.