The US has linked North Korea-backed hackers to a massive cryptocurrency heist worth $615m
(£469m) from players of the popular online game Axie Infinity last month.
Players can earn crypto through game play or trading their avatars.
The hack is likely one of the biggest ever to hit the crypto world.
US officials say they linked the breach to a group called « Lazarus », believed to be controlled by
North Korea’s primary intelligence bureau.
« Through our investigations we were able to confirm Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors
associated with [North Korea], are responsible for the theft, » the FBI said in a statement on
Thursday.
2014 saw Lazarus Group come to light for allegedly hacking Sony Pictures and disclosing private
information to the public.
The Interview, a satirical comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco about a plan to assassinate
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was the subject of the group’s demand that Sony withhold it from
release.
North Korea has been charged with using stolen money to promote its nuclear and ballistic missile
programs in order to evade international restrictions, according to a UN body that monitors sanctions
on the country.
A Treasury Department spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying, « The US is aware that the
DPRK has increased its reliance on illegal activities, including cybercrime, to raise money for its
weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs as it attempts to evade strict US and UN
sanctions.
According to a 2020 US military study, North Korea’s hacking program dates back to at least the
middle of the 1990s and has expanded into a 6,000-person cyberwarfare unit known as Bureau 121
that works out of multiple nations, including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.
Blockchain analysis company Chainalysis said North Korean hackers stole almost $400m (£291m)
worth of digital assets in at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms in 2021- one of most
successful years on record for cyber-criminals in the closed-off east Asian state.