Cryptocurrency Theft Remains Key Revenue Source for North Korea, UN Report Says

Cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges have been a significant supply of funds for North Korea previously yr, a United Nations report has unveiled. According to the doc, the sanctioned nation has additionally been growing its nuclear and missile applications.

North Korea Hits Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Sanctions Monitors Say

Hackers managed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have continued to focus on monetary establishments and crypto platforms akin to exchanges, Reuters reported citing a confidential U.N. report. Its annual version, produced by unbiased sanctions screens and submitted to the Security Council North Korea sanctions committee on Friday, claims:

Cyberattacks, notably on cryptocurrency belongings, stay an essential income supply [for DPRK].

The report additional particulars that in keeping with a member state, “DPRK cyberactors stole greater than $50 million between 2020 and mid-2021 from not less than three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.”

The screens additionally quote an estimate by Chainalysis which just lately revealed that the regime in Pyongyang has launched at least seven assaults on crypto corporations in 2021 ensuing within the theft of virtually $400 million in digital belongings. “These assaults focused primarily funding companies and centralized exchanges,” the blockchain evaluation agency defined in January.

Back in 2019, the U.N. sanctions screens introduced that North Korea had collected an estimated $2 billion by more and more subtle cyberattacks. The digital cash was allegedly used to finance its weapons of mass destruction applications. Their newest report notes:

Although no nuclear exams or launches of ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles] have been reported, DPRK continued to develop its functionality for manufacturing of nuclear fissile supplies.

The authors are satisfied that upkeep and improvement of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile infrastructure hasn’t stopped. They additionally level out that the nation, which has been below U.N. sanctions since 2006, has accelerated its ballistic missile testing, having carried out 9 launches in January, which is the most important month-to-month quantity so far.

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