North Korean Hackers Ramp Up Malware Attacks Against Bitcoin Exchange Staff

[Cordillerabit]

It Came From The North
New statistics released by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) have identified over 5,000 instances of ransomware damage between January and September of this year. This was a 3.7x increase on the same period last year, and was accompanied by a spate of malicious code injections. While much of this malware was ransomware-based, 44 attacks were specifically designed to steal personal information from the targets.

Cryptocurrency holders must constantly remain vigilant against malware attacks, but for exchange staffers, overseeing millions of dollars of digital assets, this requirement exponentially heightens. In July, it emerged that hackers had been trying to infiltrate South Korean exchanges and with some success. Malware injections were directed against exchange employees who didn’t have to look far to find the source of the attacks.

Something Phishy

North Korea is a nation which doesn’t excel on many fronts, but its hacking prowess is a matter of national pride and international hand-wringing. It’s become fashionable to blame the North Koreans for all manner of internet mischief, from the Sony pictures hack to distributing ransomware across the web. It was inevitable that North Korea would be accused of trying to infiltrate its southern neighbor’s bitcoin exchanges, and the evidence is compelling.

The Yonhap News Agency reported a KISA official as saying:

"Hackers are boldly spreading malicious code not only to hunt for bitcoins but to directly attack internet sites. Such attacks are likely to continue."

https://news.bitcoin.com/north-korean-hackers-ramp-malware-attacks-bitcoin-exchange-staff/