North Korea
North Korean hackers linked to $1.5 billion ByBit crypto heist
Over the weekend, blockchain security companies and experts have linked North Korea’s Lazarus hacking group to the theft of over $1.5 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit. In what is now considered the largest crypto heist in history, the attackers intercepted a planned transfer of funds from one of Bybit’s cold wallets into a hot wallet, […]
DPRK hackers dupe targets into typing PowerShell commands as admin
North Korean state actor ‘Kimsuky’ (aka ‘Emerald Sleet’ or ‘Velvet Chollima’) has been observed using a new tactic inspired from the now widespread ClickFix campaigns. ClickFix is a social engineering tactic that has gained traction in the cybercrime community, especially for distributing infostealer malware. It involves deceptive error messages or prompts that direct victims to execute malicious code […]
Kimsuky hackers use new custom RDP Wrapper for remote access
The North Korean hacking group known as Kimsuky was observed in recent attacks using a custom-built RDP Wrapper and proxy tools to directly access infected machines. This is a sign of shifting tactics for Kimsuky, according to AhnLab SEcurity Intelligence Center (ASEC), who discovered the campaign. ASEC says the North Korean hackers now use a […]
FBI: North Korean IT workers steal source code to extort employers
The FBI warned today that North Korean IT workers are abusing their access to steal source code and extort U.S. companies that have been tricked into hiring them. The security service alerted public and private sector organizations in the United States and worldwide that North Korea’s IT army will facilitate cyber-criminal activities and demand ransoms […]
US cracks down on North Korean IT worker army with more sanctions
The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned a network of individuals and front companies linked to North Korea’s Ministry of National Defense that have generated revenue via illegal remote IT work schemes. “The DPRK continues to rely on its thousands of overseas IT workers to generate revenue for the regime, to finance its illegal weapons programs, […]
US govt says North Korea stole over $659 million in crypto last year
North Korean state-backed hacking groups have stolen over $659 million worth of cryptocurrency in multiple crypto-heists, according to a joint statement issued by the United States, South Korea, and Japan on Tuesday. The announcement also warns that threat groups linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are still actively targeting blockchain technology industry […]
US charges operators of cryptomixers linked to ransomware gangs
The U.S. Department of Justice indicted three operators of sanctioned Blender.io and Sinbad.io crypto mixer services used by ransomware gangs and North Korean hackers to launder ransoms and stolen cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency mixers allow the mixing of deposited crypto assets among many wallet addresses to help obfuscate their source. The services then take a commission from […]
New ‘OtterCookie’ malware used to backdoor devs in fake job offers
North Korean threat actors are using new malware called OtterCookie in the Contagious Interview campaign that is targeting software developers. Contagious Interview has been active since at least December 2022, according to researchers at cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks. The campaign targets software developers with fake job offers to deliver malware such as BeaverTail and InvisibleFerret. […]
FBI links North Korean hackers to $308 million crypto heist
The North Korean hacker group ‘TraderTraitor’ stole $308 million worth of cryptocurrency in the attack on the Japanese exchange DMM Bitcoin in May. In a short post, the FBI attributed the attack to the state-affiliated threat actor TraderTraitor, also tracked as Jade Sleet, UNC4899, and Slow Pisces. The crypto heist occurred in May 2024 and forced the platform to restrict account registration, […]
North Korean hackers stole $1.3 billion worth of crypto this year
North Korean hackers have stolen $1.34 billion worth of cryptocurrency across 47 cyberattacks that occurred in 2024, according to a new report by blockchain analysis company Chainalysis. This amount represents 61% of the total stolen funds for the year, marking a year-over-year increase of 21%. Although the total number of incidents in 2024 reached a […]