FBI Recovers $41 Million In Stolen Bitcoins From North Korean Hackers

Key Points:

• The FBI retrieves $41 million in stolen bitcoins from North Korean hackers.
• Stolen funds from Alphapo and CoinsPaid; caution against potential sales.
• Lazarus Group and APT38’s involvement in cryptocurrency breaches, including a $100 million exploit, was highlighted.

In a recent statement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a breakthrough has been made in the pursuit of cybercriminals. The FBI has successfully traced and reclaimed 1580 Bitcoins, valued at over $40 million, which were stolen by North Korean hacker groups, Lazarus Group and APT38.

The FBI suspects that North Korea might seek to liquidate these digital holdings and, as a result, urges private entities to exercise vigilance and avoid transactions with the identified addresses or any associated ones.

Attributed to the North Korea-based Lazarus Group and APT38, these cyberattacks encompassed a series of cryptocurrency breaches earlier this year.

Six wallets, harboring a collective sum of 1,580 bitcoins ($41 million), were ascertained to be linked to these hacker collectives. The FBI has therefore cautioned cryptocurrency enterprises against engaging with these wallets.

The malevolent actions are attributed to DPRK TraderTraitor-affiliated actors, who executed a string of high-profile international cryptocurrency heists.

These include the $60 million virtual currency appropriation from Alphapo on June 22, 2023, and the $37 million virtual currency breach on the same day from CoinsPaid. An additional $100 million worth of virtual currency was misappropriated from Atomic Wallet on March 2.

Private sector entities are advised to meticulously review the blockchain data linked to the flagged addresses, taking precautionary measures to prevent any direct transactions or involvement stemming from these sources.

The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to exposing and countering North Korea’s employment of illegal activities, including cybercrime and virtual currency theft, to amass revenue for the regime.

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