Former state cyber experts detained in North Korea over bank heists and cryptocurrency laundering: Sources
According to Daily NK, North Korean authorities have detained a group of ex-government hackers who allegedly breached two national banks and used cryptocurrency to launder the stolen money.
Authorities in North Korea have allegedly detained multiple individuals, including former government cyber operatives and information technology experts, who stand accused of breaching two of the nation's state-run banking institutions and using digital currencies to launder the proceeds.
According to a Thursday report from Daily NK, a South Korean media organization, an unnamed source located in Pyongyang revealed that the detained group is alleged to have infiltrated the computer systems of both the central bank of North Korea and the Foreign Trade Bank, where they reportedly took state assets and converted them into digital currencies before processing the funds through intermediaries operating in China.
The claims in the report have not been independently confirmed by Cointelegraph.
Should these reports prove accurate, the detentions would represent an unusual instance of North Korean cyber warfare specialists being charged with targeting and stealing from financial institutions operated by their own nation's government.
The North Korean government in Pyongyang has long been internationally accused of operating state-sponsored hacking operations that target cryptocurrency firms as a means of generating income and avoiding the impact of international economic sanctions.
Operating out of Seoul, Daily NK is a specialized media organization that maintains contact with a network of informants positioned throughout North Korea. Given the North Korean government's tight control over both physical access and information flow, reports originating from within the country are notoriously challenging to independently confirm or verify.