Key points:
- Phishing Scheme Revealed: North Korean hackers used phishing emails to impersonate South Korean government agencies to steal cryptocurrency and personal information from unsuspecting victims.
- Lazarus Group’s Ongoing Ventures: Lazarus, a notorious hacking group with ties to North Korean hackers, continues to run sophisticated cyber operations, recently targeting blockchain engineers and amassing nearly $60 million worth of cryptocurrency.
South Korean authorities recently revealed a cybercrime trend involving North Korean hackers impersonating government agencies and journalists in South Korea. These evil actors are from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. (North Korea)They orchestrated the theft of cryptocurrency and personal data from unsuspecting victims through skillful use of phishing emails.
Deceptive Approach Revealed
A report from South Korean law enforcement reveals the deceptive tactics used by North Korean hackers. Hackers used sophisticated phishing techniques to impersonate government officials from major organizations such as the National Health Insurance Service, National Pension Service, National Police Agency, and National Tax Service.
The use of tempting clickbait in these fraudulent emails aims to lure recipients into unknowingly compromising their personal information.
North Korean cyber attack targets cryptocurrency assets
The National Police Agency confirmed that cyber attackers are primarily focused on stealing cryptocurrency assets. From March to October 2023, approximately 1,500 individuals fell victim to these phishing attempts. The majority were from the private sector, and about 57 were retired or active civil servants.
Opening the fraudulent email or clicking on the attachment can infect the victim’s device with malware, giving hackers access to sensitive personal data. Additionally, the attackers used 19 individual user IDs and profiles to infiltrate cryptocurrency trading accounts.
Also read: North Korean hackers attempted to launder $27 million worth of ETH through Harmony Bridge attack
Law Enforcement Response and Lazarus Group Involvement
The government recognized the seriousness of this cyber breach and emphasized strengthening cooperation with related organizations to deter North Korea’s illegal cyber activities and prevent additional financial losses.
The incident comes in the shadow of previous revelations involving North Korean hackers, particularly North Korean hackers. Lazarus Group, right down to sophisticated cyber plans. The group recently targeted blockchain engineers with MacOS malware disguised as a Python program disguised as a cryptocurrency arbitrage bot. These efforts are part of the Lazarus Group’s broader portfolio of cyberattacks, including the infamous CoinEx attack that resulted in approximately $55 million in losses.