North Korea hackers may try to sell $40M in Bitcoin, FBI says

• The FBI says the North Korea-linked hacker groups recently moved 1,580 BTC to six wallets.
• Lazarus Group was identified as the hacker behind crypto heists at Horizon and Ronin bridges.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that hackers working with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) may be looking to cash out over $40 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC).

North Korea hackers could try to sell BTC

A statement the FBI released on Tuesday noted that the North Korean hackers Lazarus Group and APT38 have stolen millions worth of cryptocurrencies. The hackers have recently moved about 1,580 BTC looted from various projects, with the stolen funds currently held in six wallets.

The FBI has advised crypto projects and private entities interacting likely to interact with these wallets to be vigilant.

“Private sector entities should examine the blockchain data associated with these addresses and be vigilant in guarding against transactions directly with, or derived from, the addresses,” the law enforcement agency cautioned.

The agency also highlighted the DPRK-affiliated hacker groups’ recent exploits in the crypto space.

High-profile heists include the attacks on payment processors Alphapo and CoinsPaid in June, with $60 million and $37 million worth of crypto stolen from the platform respectively. Another $100 million was stolen in early June after an exploit of the Atomic Wallet.

According to the FBI, Lazarus Group and ATP38 were also behind the Horizon bridge and Ronin Bridge attacks.

A recent report published by CoinMarketCap disclosed that North Korea-linked hackers have so far stolen over $200 million in cryptocurrency this year. The DRPK’s hacker groups accounted for 20% of all the crypto lost to attacks year-to-date.