North Korean hackers were responsible for crypto heists more than anyone else in 2022.
A UN report says that hackers from North Korea stole more cryptocurrencies in 2022 than in any other year. This is more proof that the hermit state is trying to get around international sanctions to make money. Last year, hackers with connections to North Korea broke into the networks of global aerospace and defense companies and stole crypto assets worth between $630 million and $1 billion.
Pyongyang and crypto
Independent sanctions monitors told a UN Security Council committee that North Korea “utilized more sophisticated cyber tactics to obtain access to digital networks involved in cyberbanking and to steal information of potential value, including for its weapons programs.”
Sanctions watchers say that the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is North Korea’s top intelligence agency, was in charge of most of the alleged cyber attacks.
According to the sanctions team, Kimsuky, Lazarus, Andariel, and other North Korean hackers were following orders from RGB and were being watched by international cybersecurity agencies.
The people in charge of sanctions said that the groups used malware in many different ways, including phishing. One of these campaigns was aimed at employees in more than one country’s public and private sectors.
From crypto to nuclear
The research also says that North Korea is still making materials that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Also, the report says that North Korea has tested at least 73 ballistic missiles and missiles that combine guidance technologies, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Even though North Korea’s economy is in bad shape, Kim Jong-un is increasing the number of nuclear tests and speeding up the development of nuclear weapons.
Do you remember the biggest crypto-heists of 2021?
