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The United States has shown its willing to pay a staggering $5 million to anyone who will provide information on North Korean cybercriminals and their continuing hacking activities.
The Departments of State, Treasury, Homeland Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the reward money in a report jointly published by these institutions.
The report contains an overview of North Korea’s fresh cyber operations and is grounded on a UN Security Council report published in 20219 that encompasses the country’s policy of using criminals to increase funds for the North Korea, as a different way to circumvent international restrictions.
Observed strategies include attacks and thefts from banks and financial institutions; cryptojacking operations, where North Korean hackers affect servers globally to mine cryptocurrency, and more.
The United States says these cybercriminals are representing a substantial threat to the integrity and steadiness of the global financial system.
The report cautions financial institutions and businesses to boost defenses against North Korea’s criminal groups and links to US government resources pertaining to DPRK cyber threats, enabling businesses to look into and take measures to save their IT setup against recognized North Korean malware and hacking maneuvers.
The US government also delivered a strict warning to businesses that may be dealing with North Korean institutions and might be, wittingly or unwittingly, helping North Korean hackers launder stolen capitals. Doing this will result in sanctions and confiscation of funds and assets, officials said.
The US government’s report comes a day after North Korea fired a salvo of cruise missiles that hit near South Korea’s shoreline ahead of the country’s imminent parliamentary election.
Last year, the US government said that North Korea has been employing cybercriminals to raise money to bankroll its weapons and nuclear missile programs.
“It is vital for the international community, network defenders, and the public to stay vigilant and to work together to mitigate the cyber threat posed by North Korea,” US officials said.
