• North Korea unsettles with missile tests
• Lazarus hacker group targets cryptocurrencies
• Stolen cryptocurrencies flow into nuclear weapons program
At the beginning of October, Pyongyang let a medium-range missile fly over the Japanese archipelago for the first time in five years, although UN resolutions actually prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles of any range, which, depending on the design, could also carry a nuclear warhead. This caused great concern in the region, after all, just days after North Korea conducted a nuclear weapons test a few days after it last flew such a missile over Japan in 2017. Now it is feared that the country could conduct a nuclear test for the first time since 2017 in the next few weeks.
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Numerous sanctions
Extensive sanctions were imposed on North Korea years ago because of its aggressive behavior. Among other things, an arms embargo imposed by the Security Council prohibits the import of heavy weapons and rocket technology, but industrial plants, machines, vehicles and metals can also be found on the embargo lists. In addition, an embargo on luxury products is aimed at the leadership around dictator Kim Jong-un.
It is true that Russia and China are undermining the trade restrictions because they fear regime change in Pyongyang and subsequent growing US influence in North Korea. But after Kim Jong-un carried out a series of highly provocative nuclear and missile tests, even these two states took a harder line for a time. So the question arises, where does the People’s Republic get the money for its nuclear weapons program?
crypto superpower
It has been suspected for some time that North Korean hackers are stealing billions of dollars in cryptocurrencies and that this money is being used to fund the nuclear weapons program. According to Chainalysis data, North Korea captured cryptocurrencies worth over $840 million in the first half of 2022 alone. According to a report by CNET, Anna Neuberger, the Biden administration’s deputy national security adviser, estimates that a third of the cryptocurrencies stolen go to the nuclear weapons program.
“Cryptocurrencies are arguably essential to North Korea now,” Nick Carlsen, a former FBI analyst, is quoted as saying. North Korea is now a crypto superpower by any standard.
Hackers apply to crypto companies
The focus is on the hackers of the Lazarus group, who are said to be connected to a North Korean foreign intelligence service. A report by “CNET” reveals how the hackers proceed: According to this, a large accumulation of dubious applications at Elliott Garlock and other US recruiters raises the suspicion that North Korean hackers are trying to break into crypto companies using prepared application documents.
Another common method used by Lazarus is said to be phishing attacks. According to Cointelegraph, the Japanese police, who hold Lazarus responsible for several crypto cyber attacks that have been taking place for several years, are warning of this. “This group sends phishing emails to employees, pretending they are from company executives, using social networks with fake accounts and claiming that business transactions are being conducted. The hacking group then uses the malware as a starting point to gain access to the victim’s network,” Japan’s National Police Agency and Financial Regulator said in a statement in mid-October.
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