U.S. authorities warn of North Korea-linked hackers targeting the crypto industry

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI and the U.S. Treasury issued a joint advisory on threats from North Korean hackers aimed at stealing cryptocurrency.

The document mentions the Lazarus Group, APT38, BlueNoroff and Stardust Chollima.

U.S. authorities say they have observed attacks targeting the crypto and blockchain sector, including exchanges, DeFi protocols, venture funds, large individual holders of crypto assets and NFTs.

Attackers often use social engineering to persuade victims to download malware and apps. With this, hackers gain access to the victim’s device, steal keys or exploit other security vulnerabilities.

The document contains a number of cybersecurity recommendations, including the use of multi-factor authentication, connecting only to secured hosts, and more.

According to Chainalysis, last year North Korean hackers carried out at least seven cyberattacks on crypto platforms, during which they stole digital assets worth about $400 million.

The UN said that North Korea finances the development of its nuclear programs through attacks on Bitcoin exchanges.

The United States believe that Lazarus is involved in the Ronin attack, the breach which was the largest in the history of the DeFi sector.

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