[News Today] NK hack methods evolving with AI

[LEAD]
A new report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team states that North Korea's elite hacking units are operating overseas to steal virtual assets and cash them out in Southeast Asia, including Cambodia.

The organization warns that their tactics are becoming increasingly sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence.

[REPORT]
In March 2022, an online game company in Vietnam fell victim to a hack into crypto assets worth some 600 million dollars.

North Korea was found to be responsible, and in cashing the virtual assets, the regime used Huione Pay, a widely used electronic payment system in Cambodia.

Parties connected to the North’s Reconnaissance General Bureau had laundered money for years in cahoots with employees of Huione Group.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, or MSMT, comprising eleven nations including South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, said that IT workforce members under the North Korean bureau as well as its Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry were carrying out hacking activities overseas.

They are estimated to have stolen virtual assets worth about 2.84 billion dollars from last year until recently.

Crypto exchanges in Japan and Singapore were also hit by the theft.

Choi Hyun-kyu / Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information
Asset freezes occur in traditional financial systems, while virtual assets are rarely under state control. North Korea is actively taking advantage of that.

These cyber groups also used AI-generated virtual figures to get them hired and operate as spies.

They also spread malware to steal South Korean information on defense, construction, and experts on North Korean affairs — and even Chinese drone intelligence.

They also bought gold and weapon-related materials, which are subject to UN sanctions, from overseas using crypto assets.

MSMT member countries are calling on concerned nations to strengthen sanctions against North Korea’s illegal cyber activities.

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