North Korean hackers are believed to have stolen thousands of bitcoins, according to US security firm FireEye. A way of getting money into the coffers of a country hit by increasingly severe sanctions.
North Korea lacks currency but no imagination. As international economic sanctions pile up against the country, hijackers in Pyongyang's warehouse have stolen bitcoins worth several million dollars in order to build a treasury of war, says the US computer security company FireEye, in a report published on 11 September.
Between April and July 2017, "we observed a group of hackers backed by the regime that attacked at least three South Korean bitcoins exchange platforms," FireEye specialists wrote in a blog post. One of these sites, Yapizon, had announced at the end of April that it had been stealing 3,800 bitcoins ($ 14.6 million at the current exchange rate). In other cases, the platforms neither confirmed the cyber-robbery, nor specified the amount of sums that could have been stolen.
From Sony to bitcoins :
However, these attacks can not be accurately attributed to North Korean computer hackers in the pay of the regime. Pyongyang has denied many times using cybermercenary. But for FireEye, there are clues that do not deceive: "They have used a particular version of a very specific virus that is, to our knowledge, only used by a group of North Korean computer hackers" , said David Grout, technical director of FireEye for Southern Europe.
For him, it is the work of Temp.Hermit. This group, also known as Volgmer or Hangman, is the number one suspect of the massive piracy of Sony in 2014. The attack was carried out, according to specialists, to punish the Hollywood studio for financing the comedy "The Interview" which features the murder of Kim Jong-un.
After this episode, Temp.Hermit had become more discreet. But with the diplomatic-economic situation worsening, these hackers would have resumed service more actively to defend the regime. "The stronger the sanctions, the more cyber reactions are going to be," said David Grout.
"It's an effective way to get money quickly," says Luke McNamara, a FireEye expert interviewed by Bloomberg. The bitcoin appears as an ideal target for cybercriminals for lack of money. The value of the most famous dematerialized currencies has exploded since early 2017, rising from less than $ 1,000 per bitcoin to nearly $ 4,000 per unit. The platforms on which users deposit their dematerialized currency also appear more vulnerable to computer attacks than traditional banking sites.
From bitcoins to restaurants :
This currency has another advantage for North Korean cybercriminals: South Korea hosts some of the world's largest and richest bitcoins exchange platforms. Hackers have therefore not had to look very far to use. South Korea had already accused its northern neighbor of attacking such sites between 2013 and 2015, but the booty had then been much leaner.
This wave of flights also signals, in the eyes of David Grout, a change of priority for the army of hackers in the pay of Pyongyang. North Korea would have between 3,000 and 6,000 cyber-soldiers who were "in 2014, rather turned to espionage", before moving slowly to attacks to bolster the regime. In 2015 and 2016, they distinguished themselves by pirating banks and, since 2017, they are more interested in cryptomonas (family of dematerialized currencies) like the bitcoin.
These operations are only a technological version of the efforts that Pyongyang has been carrying out for decades to fill its coffers despite being banished from the international community. Since the 1990s, North Korea has forged an international network of restaurants whose revenues are largely paid to the State. The country is also suspected of trading in gold and counterfeit notes. Perhaps it will become the first nation whose nuclear program is, in part, financed by bitcoins.
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