A confidential United Nations report, seen by Reuters, said that North Korean hackers stole the largest amount of cryptocurrencies in 2022, compared to any other previous years. They also targeted foreign defense and aerospace companies, it added.
Independent sanctions monitors in their report to UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions committee on Friday said North Korean hackers are using advanced cyber techniques to gain access to digital networks and steal cryptocurrencies as well as information of high value such as that can help its weapon programs.
The UN report says that South Korea estimates the stolen cryptocurrencies to be worth $630 million while a cybersecurity firm put it at over $1 billion.
“These actors continued illicitly to target victims to generate revenue and solicit information of value to the DPRK including its weapons programs … Initial contacts with individuals were made via LinkedIn, and once a level of trust with the targets was established, malicious payloads were delivered through continued communications over WhatsApp,” Reuters quoted from the UN report.
A recent Chainalysis report said that North Korean cryptocurrency hackers broke their own theft records by stealing $1.7 billion worth of digital assets in 2022.
“North Korea-linked hackers such as those in cybercriminal syndicate Lazarus Group have been by far the most prolific cryptocurrency hackers over the last few years. In 2022, they shattered their own records for theft, stealing an estimated $1.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency across several hacks we’ve attributed to them,” the Chainalysis report said.
