Rome, February 27: The FBI has accused North Korean-linked hackers of conducting one of the largest thefts of cryptocurrency publicly known, seizing some USD 1.5 billion worth of ethereum from a Dubai-based firm. The theft earlier this month targeting Bybit, one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, represents yet another involving a team of hackers identified by the US government by the names TraderTraitor and the Lazarus Group.

The hackers steal cryptocurrency 슬롯사이트œthrough the dissemination of cryptocurrency trading applications that were modified to include malware that facilitates theft of cryptocurrency,슬롯사이트� the FBI has said.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Bybit Crypto Hacked: World슬롯사이트™s 2nd Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange Loses USD 1.5 Billion Worth Digital Assets, Links Hackers to North Korea슬롯사이트™s Lazarus Group.

FBI Issues Warning Linking Pyongyang to Theft

In an online public service announcement late Wednesday, the FBI said it believed the North Korean-backed hackers were 슬롯사이트œresponsible for the theft.슬롯사이트� 슬롯사이트œTraderTraitor actors are proceeding rapidly and have converted some of the stolen assets to Bitcoin and other virtual assets dispersed across thousands of addresses on multiple blockchains,슬롯사이트� the FBI said in its announcement. 슬롯사이트œIt is expected these assets will be further laundered and eventually converted to fiat currency.슬롯사이트�

North Korean state media has not acknowledged either the theft or the FBI accusation. Pyongyang's mission to the United Nations in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천China Develops World슬롯사이트™s Most Powerful Surveillance Camera, Captures 1.7 mm Details From 100 km Away Using Quantum-Leap Imaging Technology.

North Korean Thefts Reportedly Fund Nuclear Weapons Programme

However, North Korea has stolen an estimated USD 1.2 billion in cryptocurrency and other virtual assets in the past five years, according to South Korea's spy agency. It represents a rare source of badly needed foreign currency to support its fragile economy and fund its nuclear program in the face of intense UN sanctions and North Korea's strict border closures during the coronavirus pandemic.

A UN experts panel separately said it was investigating 58 suspected cyberattacks by North Korea between 2017 to 2023 that saw some $3 billion stolen to 슬롯사이트œreportedly help to fund the country's development of weapons of mass destruction.슬롯사이트� Bybit co-founder and CEO, Ben Zhou, acknowledged the FBI's announcement in a post on the social platform X by linking to a website offering $140 million in bounties for tracking the stolen crypto and getting it frozen by other exchanges.

Bybit has said a routine transfer of ethereum, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, from a so-called 슬롯사이트œcold슬롯사이트� or offline wallet was 슬롯사이트œmanipulated슬롯사이트� by an attacker who transferred the crypto to an unidentified address. 슬롯사이트œIt was a highly sophisticated hack that targeted cold wallets via a blind signing type of exploit, whereby the attackers create a fake interface that deceives users, since it is a near identical copy of the trusted platform,슬롯사이트� wrote Manuel Villegas, an analyst at Julius Baer.

The blockchain analytics firm Certik has described the theft as 슬롯사이트œthe largest breach슬롯사이트� in the history of blockchain transactions. The theft has seen overall crypto prices drop in recent days as investors in part have been spooked by the hack despite the industry getting a boost from the election of US President Donald Trump. Industry leader Bitcoin traded over USD 82,000 a coin on Thursday, down from high of over $100,000 a month ago. 슬롯사이트œThe situation ... is certainly painful for ByBit's customers and will likely raise additional regulatory scrutiny,슬롯사이트� Villegas added.