According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States' investigative agency, North Korean hackers successfully amassed a substantial sum, approximately valued at around $41 million, in cryptocurrencies during the previous week. The FBI characterized this activity as outright theft in its official announcement and issued a stern warning to a group purportedly connected to the North Korean government.
As of Wednesday, the FBI announced that it had tracked the cyberattack on Stake.com back to North Korea and its state-sponsored entity, identified as the Lazarus Group, also known as APT38, which is composed of cyber operatives from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
In a statement released by the FBI, it was revealed that their investigation uncovered evidence indicating that DPRK cyber actors had successfully transferred pilfered funds, associated with the Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and Polygon networks, from Stake.com to virtual currency addresses.
Additionally, the FBI leveled an alarming accusation against the Lazarus Group, asserting that the group had managed to purloin over $200 million in cryptocurrencies within the past year alone.
This situation has raised significant concerns within US authorities, primarily centered on the apprehension that the illicitly acquired digital assets might be employed to advance North Korea's nuclear ambitions and further its weapons development program. The potential misuse of these ill-gotten gains is a subject of deep concern for the US government.
