FBI Says North Korean Hackers May Try to Sell $40M of Bitcoin

By coindesk.com August 23, 2023 In Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies, Hackers, Korea

The FBI released six wallets linked to North Korean hackers Lazarus Group and APT38.

FBI tracks $40 million of North Korea-linked bitcoin. (David Trinks/Unsplash)

North Korean hackers may attempt to cash out stolen bitcoin (BTC) worth more than $40 million, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The North Korea-based Lazarus Group and APT38 were reportedly behind a series of cryptocurrency hacks earlier this year, including the $60 million theft from payment processor Alphapo and the $100 million exploit of Atomic Wallet, the FBI said.

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In January, the FBI named the two groups as being behind last year’s Horizon Bridge hack, which resulted in the loss of over $100 million.

Six wallets containing a total of 1,580 bitcoin ($41 million) were identified as connected to the hacker groups, and the FBI warned cryptocurrency companies against interacting with those wallets.

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“The FBI will continue to expose and combat the DPRK’s use of illicit activities—including cybercrime and virtual currency theft—to generate revenue for the regime,” it said.

Edited by Sheldon Reback.

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