In recent years, North Korea is considered the number one suspect in several cryptocurrency-related cyber attacks worldwide , ranging from targeted actions against crypto-purses in neighboring countries to major attacks. such as the WannaCry in 2017. A senior FBI official discloses a finding that these actions would have been the repercussions of the financial constraints imposed on the country.
North Korea, criminal by necessity
Considered to be one of the most closed states in the world, North Korea felt compelled to resort to cyber-crimes to face US sanctions.
At least, said Tonya Ugoretz, deputy director of the FBI's IT division, at an event organized by the American think tank The Aspen Institute.
Given the dramatic scale of these sanctions on the economy, cyberattacks will have been the easiest way to make money, either through crypto-mining or through embezzlement. , she says.
Crypto-currencies, the answer to financial constraints
While Venezuela and Russia, two states that are also subject to heavy US sanctions, have invested in the Blockchain to maintain the flow of their wealth open, in the absence of traditional financial support, the debate around The real extent of cryptocurrencies, as a weapon for circumventing political and economic sanctions, continues to be controversial.
For its part, Iran, another victim of US sanctions, is currently building a Blockchain network using IBM Hyperledger Fabric to launch a national cryptocurrency.
However, even though cryptocurrencies seem to be a shield against political and economic repression, Erin Joe, the director of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, said the FBI and several government entities have already focused on the prevention of cryptocurrency attacks.
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