United States: Crypto theft: FBI accuses hackers linked to North Korea

“Through our investigation, we were able to confirm that Lazarus Group, an online cast associated with North Korea, and APT38 were responsible for the $ 620 million theft on ethereum on March 29,” the FBI said in a statement Thursday.

Ron’s network used for the online game Axy Infiniti was one of the biggest computer attacks involving cryptocurrencies. Axie Infinity is a blockchain based game that cannot replace a decentralized digital ledger. It allows you to make money in the form of NFTs, digital tokens.

Developed in 2018 by Vietnam-based Sky Mavis, the game has exploded in developing countries. About 35% of traffic and 2.5 million daily active players are in the Philippines. The cyber attack on Oxy Infinity saw vulnerabilities in the SkyMavis system being exploited by hackers.

The company thus used Ethereum, also known as “Lateral” blockchain, which allows everyone to manage its own internal transactions without resorting to Ethereum. This system was faster and cheaper, but less secure. This page system is hacked, which allows hackers to match the amount accumulated by players.

According to a 2020 U.S. military report, North Korea’s cyber warfare unit, “Office 121,” has 6,000 members, operating from Belarus, China, India, Malaysia or even abroad from Russia.

Recognized by the United States in 2019, the Lazarus group became famous in 2014 for allegedly hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment Studio in retaliation for the satirical film “The Killing Interview!”

Chainysis, a data analytics site, said in January that hackers linked to North Korea stole about $ 400 million worth of cryptocurrencies in 2021 through cyber-attacks.