DPRK-linked crypto theft topped $578M in April after the Kelp DAO exploit, as attacks continue to expand across protocols, companies and end users. Kelp DAO suffered a $292 million hack on Saturday, overtaking Drift as the largest crypto exploit of the year so far. North Korea-linked hackers are suspected to be behind the attack. Kelp DAO said Monday that the exploit stemmed from a failure of cross-chain messaging protocol LayerZero’s infrastructure. LayerZero said the breach was enabled by Kelp DAO’s use of a single verifier configuration to approve cross-chain messages. LayerZero said that “preliminary indicators” attributed the exploit to TraderTraitor, a subgroup of North Korea’s state-backed hacking unit known as Lazarus Group. Read more
ChatGPT automates North Korea’s crypto hacks. Malaysian highway funds funneled to digital assets. Asia Express North Koreas state-sponsored hacking groups are automating cryptocurrency theft with the help of AI tools like ChatGPT, according to South Korean cybersecurity officials. Lee Seul-gi, lead researcher at the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), said attackers are using AI-configured scripts to automatically transfer crypto to their own wallets once a victims balance exceeds $200. During a security conference in Seoul on Thursday, Lee shared the findings of an investigation that analyzed 39 virtual server images seized in September, according to local media. Read more
The Justice Department has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize crypto and NFTs allegedly tied to laundering efforts by North Korea. The US Department of Justice has moved to seize $7.74 million in crypto allegedly earned by North Korean IT workers using fake identities and working at blockchain firms as remote contractors. The funds were initially frozen in April 2023 as part of an indictment against Sim Hyon Sop, a China-based banker allegedly helping North Korean IT workers launder money, the DOJ said in a June 5 statement. The Justice Department is looking to seize multiple cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins and Bitcoin (BTC) in varying amounts, along with non-fungible tokens and Ethereum Name Service domains that are held in multiple self-custody wallets and Binance accounts, according to its civil forfeiture complaint filed June 5 in a Washington, DC federal court. Read more