North Korean hackers have stolen billions of dollars by hacking into cryptocurrency exchanges and creating fake identities to obtain remote technical jobs at foreign companies, an international report on North Korea's cyber capabilities said, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The authors of the 138-page report note that Pyongyang is developing illegal activities to fund research and development in the field of nuclear weapons.
The report was published by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Group, which includes the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
The monitoring group was established last year after Russia vetoed a resolution that would have tasked a UN Security Council expert group with monitoring Pyongyang's activities. The group's first report, published in May, focused on North Korea's military support for Russia, the AP notes.
North Korea has also used cryptocurrency to launder money and make military-industrial purchases to evade international sanctions related to its nuclear program, the report says.
Despite its small size and isolation, North Korea has invested heavily in cyberattacks and now rivals China and Russia in the capacity of its hackers, posing a significant threat to foreign governments, businesses and individuals, the report's authors conclude.
With the help of allies in Russia and China, North Korea's cyber actions "are directly linked to the destruction of physical computer equipment, endangering human life, loss of civilian assets and property, and financing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's illicit programs for weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. missiles“.
Earlier this year, hackers linked to North Korea carried out one of the largest cryptocurrency heists in history, stealing $1.5 billion worth of ethereum from the company "Bybit". The FBI later linked the theft to a group of hackers working for North Korean intelligence.
Federal authorities in the United States also allege that thousands of IT professionals employed by American companies are actually North Koreans who are using fake identities to get remote work. The North Koreans have gained access to internal systems and have been transferring their salaries to their government. In some cases, the hackers have been holding multiple remote jobs at the same time.
North Korea's Permanent Mission to the United Nations has not responded to AP's request for comment.