FBI links North Korean hacker group Lazarus to Stake.com’s $41 million heist

• Stake.com was robbed of more than $41 million earlier this week following a private key leak.
• The hacker group, according to the FBI, has stolen more than $200 million in 2023.
• Back in January, the FBI intercepted a portion of funds from the $100 million Harmony Bridge attack, also tied to Lazarus.

One of the biggest cybercriminal groups, Lazarus, run by members of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has been confirmed to be active again. The North Korean hacker group has been the leader in cyber crimes this year and has also been held responsible for the recent Stake.com attack.

North Korea’s Lazarus steal from Stake.com

Earlier this week, FXStreet reported on the exploit suffered by the betting and crypto casino service provider Stake. The platform reported losses of over $41 million and was forced to suspend all deposits and withdrawals following the hack.

Days after the hack, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that the criminals behind the crime were the hacker group Lazarus. The North Korea-based cybercriminal group is suspected to be run by the members of the ruling party, DPRK. In the past, this group has orchestrated multiple attacks and thefts, the funds from which were suspected of supporting the ballistic missile program of the country.

The FBI noted that the group stole the $41 million associated with Ethereum, Polygon and Binance Smart Chain (BSC) networks. This added to their list of vast thefts, which has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars worth of losses in 2023 alone.

Losses associated with Lazarus

According to the FBI, the cybercriminal group has managed to steal more than $200 million since the beginning of the year. In the past nine months, two major cyber attacks were linked to Lazarus, the first being the Harmony Bridge attack in January. 

While the hackers were held responsible for the $100 million attack, only $60 million of the amount was laundered, and even some of it was intercepted and frozen by the FBI.

In another instance in July this year, Lazarus stole another $60 million Alphapo and CoinsPaid following a $100 million theft from the Atomic Wallet in June. Although the group’s activities and amount stolen have reduced in comparison to 2022, Lazarus remains one of the most active and prolific cyber criminal groups in the world.

Read more - FBI confirms North Korean hacker group Lazarus responsible for $100 million Harmony Bridge attack

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