FBI fingers North Korean-aligned hacker groups for Ethereum theft

The FBI on Friday attributed a large-scale theft of the Etherium cryptocurrency to hacker groups associated with North Korea.

"Through our investigation we were able to confirm Lazarus Group and APT38, cyber actors associated with the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], are responsible for the theft of $620 million in Ethereum reported on March 29," the agency said in a press release.

Pyongyang makes extensive use of hacker groups conducting online thefts to raise money for the communist regime. The Lazarus Group has operated on behalf of North Korea for over ten years, according to Forbes, and previously earned notoriety for digital attacks on Sony Pictures and the Central Bank of Bangladesh.

Of the $620 million stolen, the group allegedly has managed to launder 18% through Tornado Cash as of Friday, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic estimates, per Forbes. Tornado Cash is a digital service through which users can hide digital currency trails.

The FBI press release did not elaborate on any efforts to recover the stolen funds but vowed the agency would continue to fight against North Korea's hacking efforts.

"The FBI, in coordination with Treasury and other U.S. government partners, will continue to expose and combat the DPRK’s use of illicit activities – including cybercrime and cryptocurrency theft – to generate revenue for the regime."