Unprecedented Record of North Korea in Digital Currency Theft
The leaked content of a confidential United Nations report indicates that Pyongyang has achieved a record in financial cyber attacks in the virtual space in 2022.
According to the report obtained by a German news agency, over the past six years, state-sponsored hackers from North Korea have stolen a total of approximately $1.2 billion. Pyongyang has used this money, which comes from investments in digital currencies, to finance its nuclear and missile programs.
The cybersecurity industry has identified the Lazarus state-sponsored hacking group and its subsidiaries, Andariel and Kimsooki, as the main elements behind the cyber attacks and operations of North Korea. They target digital currency markets using sophisticated ransomware. The hackers infiltrate these systems, lock users out, and encrypt the data, which can only be accessed again after paying a ransom.