North korea

The FBI has issued an alert warning that North Korean hackers are attempting to steal cryptocurrency funds from U.S.-based ETFs using sophisticated social engineering techniques.

The United Nations has launched a probe into 35 cyber attacks linked to North Korea, including cryptocurrency exchange hacks and “cryptojacking.”

A confidential briefing from the UN indicates that North Korea has accrued at least $2 billion from cryptocurrency exchange and mining hacks.

North Korean hackers have made a phishing attempt on users of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit. The hackers reportedly sent out an email claiming that Upbit users needed to submit more information to become eligible for a prize drawing, then malware would activate when they opened it.

The Royal United Services Institute finds that as North Korea continues to circumvent international sanctions, it’s turning its attention to cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. This may make Southeast Asia vulnerable to the nation’s cryptocurrency activity.

The company had reportedly lost $26 million as a result of theft and the subsequent bankruptcy declaration. Coinbin’s CEO Park Chan-kyu claims that the move was “due to a rise in debt following an employee’s embezzlement.”

North Korean cybercrime hacking group The Lazarus Group is currently the biggest crypto hacking syndicate in the world, having stolen millions worth of cryptocurrencies from online exchanges.

A recent study (PDF) from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance and blockchain analytics company Elliptic explored the...