đź’Ž North Korean hackers are increasing their activity in an attempt to gain bitcoins and other crypto-currencies and circumvent trade restrictions imposed on the country. This is reported by Bloomberg with reference to a new report of the company FireEye Inc, which is engaged in research in the field of cybersecurity.
đź’Ž According to FireEye Inc, for the period from April to July 2017, North Korean hackers committed at least six attacks on crypto-exchange exchanges in South Korea. Attackers also hacked an information site covering events in this area. In addition, they collected payments in bitcoins from victims of the WannaCry virus.
đź’Ž It is assumed that the North Korean government is aware of these attacks. Moreover, it supports them.
đź’Ž Experts say that Kim Jong Ne's obvious interest in crypto-currencies is related to their popularity and growth of quotations. In addition, they are not controlled by the state and allow anonymous transactions, which makes them useful for raising funds and money laundering. In connection with the tightening of sanctions and the expansion of the use of crypto currency, North Korea's interest in digital money will only grow, believe FireEye.
🍀 'We clearly see that sanctions are a major factor affecting this type of activity. They probably consider this a very cheap solution to attract cash, 'the author of the report, Luc McNamara, said.
On September 11, the National Security Council of the United States approved sanctions against North Korea, the cause of which were the latest rocket and nuclear tests. The US authorities said that the new measures will reduce the export of textiles from the country by 90%, which will make it more difficult to get cash for the local government.
đź’Ž The North Korean Communications Minister did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment. Diplomats and official media deny the country's involvement in cyberattacks, including an attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.
đź’Ž South Korean authorities believe that an entire army of hackers operates in the neighboring country, which are now engaged not only in military espionage, but also in theft of funds.
💎 According to the report of the International Center for Cyber ​​Politics at the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy for 2016, the General Intelligence Directorate under the leadership of Kim Jong-un is conducting cyber operations in peacetime, from espionage to malfunctioning in the network. The subdivision includes about 6 thousand employees.
đź’Ž At the same time, South Korea was the victim of attacks not because of territorial proximity, but because this country is one of the most active centers of the crypto-currency trade, McNamara believes. So, Bithumb is considered the world's largest Ethereum-exchange. In June, the company said that hackers kidnapped customers' data from the computer of one of its employees. In this case, the identity of the attackers could not be established.
🍀 'As more and more money enters the crypto-exchange markets, and people increasingly buy bitcoins and etherium, exchanges are becoming increasingly important goals for this group,' McNamara said.
He added that at the moment he has no evidence that the regime of Kim Jong-no intends to attack the crypto-exchange markets outside of South Korea, but he does not rule out the likelihood of such a development in the future.
đź’Ž The FireEye report notes that if hackers want to convert bitcoins or Ethereum into dollars or won, they will not do it directly. There is a high likelihood that they will first transfer them to currencies that are harder to detect, such as Monero, and then to currencies. A similar technology was used last month to withdraw money from the bitcoin-wallets of the creators of Wanna Sry.
🍀 'They can compromise the exchange and transfer bitcoins to other exchangers somewhere in Asia or exchange them for a more anonymous crypto currency. There are many things that they can do to withdraw money, 'McNamara concluded.
Recall that in August the organization Cyber ​​Warfare Research Center reported on attacks of North Korean hackers on crypto-exchange exchanges in South Korea.
🤗 source: anycoin.news 🤗