U.S. Justice Department charges North Korean hackers with stealing nearly $1 million from crypto firms

PANews reported on July 1 that the U.S. Department of Justice charged four North Korean hackers with posing as remote developers, infiltrating an Atlanta-based blockchain startup, and stealing about $900,000 in cryptocurrency. The hackers gained trust by forging identity documents and carried out two thefts in 2022, stealing $175,000 and $740,000 respectively, and then used mixers and fake identities to launder the money.

According to analysis, these actions are part of North Korea's long-term strategy to fund weapons programs. Hackers embed themselves in companies through loopholes in remote work culture, use forged identity documents to avoid background checks, and steal company funds. The U.S. Department of Justice also launched a joint operation in 16 states, seizing 29 financial accounts, 21 fake websites and about 200 computers used to support North Korea's IT programs.