Why North Korean Actors May Be Targeting Cryptocurrencies

FireEye links North Korean cyberthieves to a recent spate of spearphishing attacks against South Korea.

North Korean cybercriminals may increasingly steal Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies, following the
sanctions imposed Monday by the United Nations Security Council
over North Koreas persistent nuclear testing, according to a FireEye blog post.
The sanctions, which include capping North Koreas oil imports and banning the countrys profitable textile export business, may fuel even more spearphishing attacks against South Koreas cryptocurrency exchanges and other nations exchanges, FireEye asserts, as North Korean actors seek to fund the governments activities and the pocketbooks of the countrys elite.
Last year, FireEye says it noticed North Korean actors shifting their focus from cyber espionage to crimes against traditional banks and financial institutions around the globe. That shift was likely the result of North Korean actors trying to raise funds for governments activities, according to FireEye.
But beginning in May, the security firm says it observed at least three incidents where North Korean actors targeted South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges. The cyberthieves attacked the personal email accounts of employees at the exchanges, and often used bogus tax-related messages as the lure, according to FireEye. The attacks used malware called PEACHPIT, which FireEye links to previous malware used by North Korean actors in last years attacks against global banks and financial institutions.
Read more about the North Korean cryptocurrency attacks
here
.

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Why North Korean Actors May Be Targeting Cryptocurrencies