According to FBI reconstructions, North Korea-related hackers are behind the $ 620 million cryptocurrency theft of the Ronin network. The Lazarous Group allegedly stole crypto from the video game-related platform in NFT Axie Infinity.
North Korean hacker behind Ronin’s crypto theft
According to the reconstructions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the 620 million cryptocurrencies would have ended up in the hands of the Lazarous group, already responsible in 2014 for the attack on Sony Pictures that had revealed the firm’s company data.
Officially, the US government made no direct links to hackers. But the US Treasury traced the address where the attackers deposited the virtual money, linking it to North Korean hackers.
A spokesperson for the Washington Treasury Department explains: “The United States is well aware that the DPRK has increasingly relied on illicit activities, including cybercrime, to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs while it tries to evade the strong US and UN sanctions ”.
It is currently unclear whether Lazarous tracing the blow to the cybercriminals will help Ronin recover the currencies. Analyzing the case after the break, Toby Lewis, Global Head of Threat Analysis di Darktrace he explained to us the difficulty in tracing the funds. In fact: “the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies and NFTs introduces a further challenge in recovering lost funds”.
The Ronin platform allowed access to NFT Axie Infinity, which may have served as a gateway for hackers. However, the dynamics are still unclear. We will keep you updated on the development of the situation.