One of the world’s most infamous cybercrime gangs has been caught responsible for a series of digital hacks that targeted Japanese financial institutions. Known as Lazarus, this group is made up of North Korean nationals who specialize in hacking into financial institutions and stealing sensitive data. This latest discovery comes just a week after the Japanese police arrested three members of the gang. In addition to stealing money, Lazarus also uses this data to blackmail banks and businesses into paying ransoms in order to get their data back. Japan has been a frequent target of Lazarus because of its large and diversified economy. This latest arrest shows that even countries outside of traditional cybercrime hotspots are still vulnerable to these groups. Read more on Japan’s national police finding that North Korea was behind crypto hacks here.
Japan’s National Police Agency has found that Lazarus, a North Korean hacker, was behind crypto hacks in several countries
The Japan’s National Police Agency has found that Lazarus, a North Korean hacker, was behind crypto hacks in several countries. The first attack took place on August 9th 2018 when the agency was informed about a hack of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange, Coinrail. Afterwards, other exchanges were targeted including Bithumb and Coincheck. In all cases, hackers allegedly stole millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies.
Lazarus is known for being responsible for other cyber-attacks as well. He is thought to have been behind the Wannacry ransomware outbreak in 2017 which caused havoc around the world. The National Police Agency believes that his latest exploits were motivated by money rather than ideological reasons.
This comes after Japan arrested Lazarus earlier this year for his alleged involvement in the theft of $81 million worth of cryptocurrencies from an Australian cryptocurrency exchange
According to reports from Japan’s national police, Lazarus was behind the theft of $81 million worth of cryptocurrencies from an Australian cryptocurrency exchange earlier this year. Japan’s national police found that Lazarus was using the stolen funds to purchase bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on various exchanges around the world.
Lazarus was arrested earlier this year after being tracked down by Japanese authorities. He is now facing charges related to the crypto thefts and is expected to be extradited to Australia later this year for trial. This arrest is a major blow to North Korea’s efforts to exploit cryptocurrencies for financial gain. It shows that law enforcement agencies are capable of tracking down criminals even across international borders.
This is the first time that Japan has linked a North Korean hacker to a crypto hack
According to reports from Japan’s National Police Agency, a North Korean hacker group known as Lazarus was behind several crypto hacks in recent years. This is the first time that Japan has linked a North Korean hacker to a crypto hack.
Lazarus is thought to have been behind the theft of $530 million worth of digital currency from Japanese exchanges in February of this year. The group is also believed to have been responsible for the theft of $521 million worth of digital currency from South Korean exchanges in December of last year.
The link between North Korea and Lazarus has not been confirmed, but it is interesting evidence that suggests Pyongyang may be engaged in cyber crime involving cryptocurrencies.
The Japanese police believe that Lazarus was behind the hacks in order to get money from
Since the start of 2018, Japan’s national police have been investigating a series of crypto hacks which have caused significant financial loss for their victims. According to police investigations, all the attacks were carried out by a single hacker group called Lazarus, and they are now confident that Lazarus is behind them in order to obtain money from the victims.
Lazarus has been known to carry out cyber-attacks in order to steal money and data from its targets. In recent years, they have targeted several companies and governments around the world, including South Korea, the United States, Taiwan, and Japan. Their motives have always been financial gain, as evidenced by their tendency to target high-value targets with large organisational networks.
Given that Lazarus is known for their highly effective cyber-attacks and their propensity for targeting high-value targets, it is no surprise that Japan’s national police believe that they are behind the recent crypto hacks in Japan. While there is still no clear evidence linking Lazarus to the Japanese hacks specifically, authorities believe that they are responsible for other attacks which have taken place around the world over the past few years. If this is indeed true, then Lazarus will now be added to the list of notorious cyber criminals who operate out of North Korea – an organization which is well known for its highly skilled hackers.
Conclusion
The Lazarus group, previously linked to the WannaCry ransomware attack and Petya virus, is now suspected of being behind Japan’s national police’s discovery earlier this year that $500 million had been stolen from banks in the country through a series of crypto hacks. The thefts took place between December 2016 and February 2018, with losses reaching ¥132 billion (approximately $1.2 billion). Officials believe that Lazarus is using cryptocurrencies as an undetectable means of laundering money and are urging financial institutions to be more vigilant in their security measures when it comes to digital currencies.
