North Korea
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 […]
US offers $5 million for info on North Korean IT worker farms
The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that could help disrupt the activities of North Korean front companies and employees who generated over $88 million via illegal remote IT work schemes in six years. The two companies, Chinese-based Yanbian Silverstar and Volasys Silverstar from Russia, tricked businesses worldwide […]
Radiant links $50 million crypto heist to North Korean hackers
Radiant Capital now says that North Korean threat actors are behind the $50 million cryptocurrency heist that occurred after hackers breached its systems in an October 16 cyberattack. The attribution comes after investigating the incident, assisted by cybersecurity experts at Mandiant, who say the attack was conducted by North Korean state-affiliated hackers known as Citrine […]
Hackers use macOS extended file attributes to hide malicious code
Hackers are using a novel technique that abuses extended attributes for macOS files to deliver a new trojan that researchers call RustyAttr. The threat actor is hiding malicious code in custom file metadata and also uses decoy PDF documents to help evade detection. The new technique is similar to how the Bundlore adware in 2020 hid its […]
North Korean hackers create Flutter apps to bypass macOS security
North Korean threat actors target Apple macOS systems using trojanized Notepad apps and minesweeper games created with Flutter, which are signed and notarized by a legitimate Apple developer ID. This means that the malicious apps, even if temporarily, passed Apple’s security checks, so macOS systems treat them as verified and allow them to execute without […]
North Korean hackers use new macOS malware against crypto firms
North Korean threat actor BlueNoroff has been targeting crypto-related businesses with a new multi-stage malware for macOS systems. Researchers are calling the campaign Hidden Risk and say that it lures victims with emails that share fake news about the latest activity in the cryptocurrency sector. The malware deployed in these attacks relies on a novel […]
North Korean govt hackers linked to Play ransomware attack
The North Korean state-sponsored hacking group tracked as ‘Andariel’ has been linked to the Play ransomware operation, using the RaaS to work behind the scenes and evade sanctions. A report from Palo Alto Networks and its Unit 42 researchers claims that Andariel might be either an affiliate of Play or acting as an initial access broker […]
North Korean hackers exploit Chrome zero-day to deploy rootkit
North Korean hackers have exploited a recently patched Google Chrome zero-day (CVE-2024-7971) to deploy the FudModule rootkit after gaining SYSTEM privileges using a Windows Kernel exploit. “We assess with high confidence that the observed exploitation of CVE-2024-7971 can be attributed to a North Korean threat actor targeting the cryptocurrency sector for financial gain,” Microsoft said on Friday, […]