“North Korea stole 480 billion won in virtual currency,” claims at least three exchanges were hacked

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (International News DB)

It was revealed that North Korea cyberattacked global cryptocurrency exchanges last year and stole 480 billion won in cryptocurrency.

The UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee released the report of an expert panel on the 1st (local time).

According to the report, one member state said that North Korea was found to have stolen more than $50 million (regarding 60.7 billion won) from at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia between 2020 and mid-2021.

He also mentioned a report published by Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics company. Chainalysis estimated that hackers linked to North Korea conducted at least seven cyberattacks on virtual asset exchanges and investment companies last year and stole $400 million (regarding 485.4 billion won) of cryptocurrency.

In a report published on its site, Chainalysis said, “Due to complex (cyber-attack) tactics and techniques, many security engineers view North Korean hackers as a persistent threat.”

The cyberattack was directed at Lazarus, a hacking organization known to be linked to the North Korean Reconnaissance General Administration.

The expert panel pointed out that “cyber attacks on virtual currency assets are still an important source of revenue for North Korea,” and that North Korea is diversifying its cybercriminal activities.

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