Hackers from North Korea stole a record amount of cryptocurrency and classified data

The UN Security Council has submitted a fresh analytical report on North Korea to the Sanctions Committee. According to the document, in 2022, North Korean hackers stole more crypto assets than ever before. «The DPRK has used advanced cybertechnologies to both gain access to digital networks and steal potentially valuable information, including for its nuclear programs,» the document says. North Korea itself officially denies all this.

According to sanctions observers, most cyberattacks last year were carried out by groups controlled by North Korea’s General Intelligence Bureau, and thus were political in nature. The report mentions well-known cybercriminal groups such as Kimsuky, the odious Lazarus Group and Andariel. The analysts said that according to preliminary estimates, in 2022, hackers stole virtual assets ranging from $ 630 million to more than $ 1 billion.

For its part, Chainalysis emphasizes that cryptocurrency theft is a significant part of North Korea’s national economy, and in 2022, North Korean hackers stole at least $ 1.7 billion in cryptocurrencies. However, the UN believes that the main goal of hackers is not digital assets, but information that may be needed to develop the DPRK’s nuclear program.

The most famous hacker group Lazarus Group is also suspected of helping the North Korean government develop weapons of mass destruction. Rumor has it that the lion’s share of the nuclear program’s funding is made up of stolen cryptocurrency. Last year, Lazarus was also accused of hacking attacks on Israeli and Japanese crypto exchanges. Most analysts believe that crypto hacking and phishing attacks by North Korea will not stop, and the UN will respond to Pyongyang’s promising cryptocurrency and cybercrime with further sanctions.