Press "Enter" to skip to content

North Korean hackers stole $1.2B in virtual assets worldwide: South Korea

North Korean hackers have stolen worldwide an estimated 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets in the past five years, more than half of it this year alone, according to South Korea’s spy agency.

South Korea’s main spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, revealed on Thursday that state-sponsored North Korean hackers are estimated to have stolen 1.5 trillion won ($1.2 billion) in virtual assets around the world since 2017, including about 800 billion won ($626 million) this year alone.

It added that more than 100 billion won ($78 million) of the total came from South Korea.

The NIS also warned that North Korean hackers are expected to conduct more cyberattacks next year to steal advanced South Korean technologies and confidential information on South Korean foreign policy and national security.

Experts and officials said North Korea has turned to crypto hacking and other illicit cyber activities as a source of badly needed foreign currency to support its fragile economy and fund its nuclear programme following harsh UN sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NIS noted that Pyongyang’s capacity to steal digital assets is now considered among the best in the world because of the country’s focus on cybercrimes since UN economic sanctions were toughened in 2017 in response to its nuclear and missile tests.

READ MORE:
North Korean hackers ‘stole’ $400M worth of cryptocurrency last year

The UN sanctions imposed in 2016-17 ban key North Korean exports such as coal, textiles and seafood.

It also led member states to repatriate North Korean overseas workers. Its economy also suffered further setbacks after it imposed some of the world’s most draconian restrictions against the pandemic.

Earlier this month, senior diplomats from the United States, South Korea and Japan agreed to increase efforts to curb illegal North Korean cyber activities.

In February, a panel of UN experts said North Korea was continuing to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from financial institutions and cryptocurrency firms and exchanges.

Despite its economic difficulties, North Korea has carried out a record number or missile tests this year in what some experts say is an attempt to modernise its arsenal and boost its leverage in future negotiations with its rivals to win sanctions relief and other concessions.

READ MORE:
“DPRK fires two ballistic missiles: South Korea”

More from BusinessMore posts in Business »

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *