WASHINGTON (AFP) – The U.S. North Korean-linked hackers were behind a $620 million cryptocurrency heist last month that targeted players of the popular Axie Infinity game, according to US authorities on Thursday.
The hack was one of the largest to hit the crypto world, raising serious concerns about security in an industry that has only recently emerged from the shadows thanks to celebrity endorsements and promises of untold wealth.
The theft last month from the creators of Axie Infinity, a game in which players can earn cryptocurrency through game play or trading their avatars, came just weeks after thieves stole around $320 million in a similar attack.
“Through our investigations, we were able to confirm that Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors associated with (North Korea),” the FBI said in a statement.
In 2014, the Lazarus Group was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment in retaliation for “The Interview,” a satirical film that mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to a 2020 US military report, North Korea’s cyber-program dates back to at least the mid-1990s, but it has since grown to a 6,000-strong cyber-warfare unit known as Bureau 121 that operates from several countries including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia, and Russia.
North Korea, according to John Bambenek, a threat analyst with the digital security firm Netenrich, is “unusual” in that it employs groups dedicated to cryptocurrency theft.