Israeli crypto was the target of new tactics by North Korean hackers

According to reports in Israel, North Korean hackers have attempted to steal money from an Israeli cryptocurrency company using “unfamiliar tools,” likely to fund the nation’s covert nuclear program.

Channel 12 News reports that during the attack, hackers pretended to be a Japanese supplier to the unnamed company and attempted to access money using “professional and sophisticated” methods, according to the report.

Fortunately, a cybersecurity company noticed and stopped the attempted theft after it “set off alarm bells in Israel.”

According to the questioned cybersecurity company, if the attack had been successful, the money would have been used to advance Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

Channel 12 reports that it’s unclear whether this assertion can be substantiated or if it’s just an educated guess based on the nation’s historical performance.

According to a UN report from the previous year, North Korea had stolen more than $300 million in cryptocurrency to fund its weapons development.

Several of these attacks, including a $81 million raid on the Bangladesh Central Bank and a $60 million theft from Taiwan’s Far Eastern International Bank, were reported by Channel 12 as having contributed to a significant portion of this.

The WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 that affected 300,000 computers across 150 countries may have also been carried out by Korean hackers.

Additionally, cyberterrorists from Pyongyang allegedly struck Hollywood, hacking Sony Pictures in 2014 in retaliation for the studio’s movie The Interview, which made fun of Kim Jong Un.

It’s important to note that despite severe sanctions placed on North Korea and its weapons programs, the nation’s ongoing rocket launches demonstrate that it doesn’t lack resources or funding.