Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) — The White House has called for increased vigilance against cyber threats from North Korean actors. Poor cyber security has enabled Pyongyang to steal more than $1 Billion worth of cryptocurrency.
“Some cryptocurrency entities ignore applicable financial regulations and basic risk controls, practices that protect homes, businesses and the country’s economy,” said a White House press release titled “The Administration’s plan to minimize the risk of cryptocurrencies.
“And there is poor cyber security across the industry that allowed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to steal more than $1 billion to fund its aggressive missile program,” it added.
Anne Neuberger, White House deputy national safety adviser for cyber- and emerging technology, pointed out that North Korea is believed to have funded up to 30% of its illicit weapons programs with proceeds from cyber crimes.
“North Korea’s malicious cyber activity is of great concern. You saw that we attributed a series of North Korean cyberattacks against cryptocurrency infrastructure that we believe generated large sums of money for North Korea,” Neuberger said.
The United States has identified {that a} North Korean hacking group, Lazarus, was responsible for the theft of an estimated $620 million from the internet in 2022 alone. One of the largest cyber theft incidents was by Axie Infinity.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
