The National Police Agency of Japan announced Tuesday it had identified the North Korean hacker group TraderTraitor as likely responsible for the theft of $308 million in Bitcoin in May.
The inquiry revealed that a Pyongyang-based operative posing as a corporate recruiter on LinkedIn successfully installed a Python virus on the computer of an employee at Ginco, a Japanese cryptocurrency firm. Two months later, the infiltrators were able to impersonate the target and steal 4,502 BTC.
The NPA disclosed that they were assisted by the U.S. Defense Department's Cyber Crime Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with their efforts.
Earlier this year, the FBI accused TraderTraitor of stealing $100 million from Atomic Wallet, $60 million from Alphapo, and $37 million from CoinsPaid.
Western authorities have long claimed North Korea uses digital currency fraud to fund its nuclear weapons program and missile development. In 2022, the United Nations estimated the isolated regime generated $630 million through these illicit activities.
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