by
Washington
CNN
—
The FBI on Monday night blamed North Korean government-linked hackers for stealing $100 million in cryptocurrency final June from a California-based agency.
The North Korean operatives this month laundered over $60 million of the cash stolen within the June hack, in line with the FBI assertion. The bureau mentioned “a portion” of the $60 million was frozen, however didn’t specify how a lot.
It’s one in all a collection of digital heists that US officers fear Pyongyang will use to fund its illicit nuclear and ballistic weapons program. North Korean hackers have stolen the equal of billions of {dollars} in recent times by raiding cryptocurrency exchanges, in line with the United Nations.
In the June hack, the intruders focused a “bridge” – or a program that permits for the switch of cryptocurrency – run by Harmony, a California-based cryptocurrency agency.
In addition to hacking cryptocurrency corporations, suspected North Koreans have posed as different nationalities to use for work at such corporations and ship a refund to Pyongyang, US businesses have publicly warned. A CNN investigation discovered no less than one cryptocurrency entrepreneur who unwittingly paid a North Korean tech employee tens of hundreds of {dollars}.
Despite the plummeting of the worth of cryptocurrency final 12 months, the suspected North Korean hacks of digital foreign money belongings have continued. The FBI final April blamed North Korean government-backed hackers for a roughly $600-million hack of well-liked online game firm.
