【1981 Archives】

Hackers in North Korea981 Archivesmanaged to steal about $88,100 worth of bitcoin -- about 73 bitcoins now -- between 2013 and 2015, reports Radio Free Asia.

With much of its economic channels under sanctions by the U.N., the untraceable digital currency provides a way for the reclusive dictatorship to bring some cash into its gates.

SEE ALSO: Seth Rogen's North Korea tweet is too real

Hackers took roughly 40 million won ($35,416) worth of bitcoin after Seoul shut down the joint industrial zone at Kaesong, Choi Sang-myong, a senior official at Hauri Inc., was quoted as saying. Hauri is a South Korean cybersecurity firm.

"Cyber-criminals have turned to bitcoin for money as it is very difficult to track them down," Choi said. "North Korea [has] jumped on the bandwagon of bitcoin extortion since around 2012."

The country's hacking network is immense -- South Korea estimates there are 1,7000 hackers aided by 5,000 trainers, supervisors and others. The hackers usually work abroad, in China, Southeast Asia and Europe -- and the country has begun to employ ransomware in a bid to obtain bitcoin, according to the New York Times.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Credit: AP/Shutterstock

In a 2016 interview with Daily NK, Choi said that it was a "real concern" that the country has been planning to use ransomware and Bitcoin as a source of foreign currency.

Even "large multi-national corporations" have been susceptible to these attacks, he added.

In July last year, North Korea's main intelligence agency stole the data of more than 10 million customers from Interpark, an online auction and shopping site, and held it for ransom in exchange for $2.7 million in bitcoin.

But North Korea's team of hackers have turned away from bitcoin for now, Choi told Radio Free Asia, and is looking for other opportunities that could be more lucrative.

The country is allegedly involved in a heist on Bangladesh's central bank in February last year, of which nearly $81 million was stolen.

Cybersecurity firms like Kaspersky Labs have tied North Korea to the heist, adding that the same group of hackers were likely also responsible for a cybersecurity attack on Sony, before the release of Seth Rogen's parody film The Interview.

---

Featured Video For You

---

The Bitcoin blockchain: Could it be the biggest invention since the Internet?

---

Topics Bitcoin Cybersecurity

• Games
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Tech
• Entertainment
• Social Good
• Life
• Shopping

• Best vacuum mop combo deal: Save $140 on the Tineco Floor One S5
• Come Celebrate Our Fall Issue by Deirdre Foley
• Problems with 'gentle' parenting: Understanding when it's not right for you
• Elon Musk's claims about Tesla safety could be deepfakes, lawyers argue
• Bargaining For the Common Good
• 'Jury Duty' review: A wonderfully wacky twist on reality TV
• Mia Khalifa is now a TikTok star, and she loves it
• The Grand Map by Avi Steinberg
• Mary Shows Up
• The VIVE XR Elite is a step toward making home VR headsets more popular

• Smaller, faster Tinder Lite app coming to Vietnam soon
• Barbie's darkest secrets are revealed in this viral hashtag
• Ohio lawmaker tweets absolutely gorgeous PSA about teen vaping
• Nothing's next smartphone might launch in the U.S.
• Twitter losing ad revenue during World Cup
• Japan vs Croatia livestream: How to watch World Cup Round of 16 live
• 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' review: A steamy affair that makes room to examine class
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for December 5
• YouTuber dunks on Delta Airlines after they respond to his prank tweet
• Alexandria Ocasio

• The State of PC Gaming in 2016
• What's the real story behind 'Love and Death's Candy Montgomery?
• Beyoncé's releases new song, website for Black creators on Juneteenth
• Staff Picks: A Fan’s Notes, Foster Wallace on TV by The Paris Review
• Best soundbar deal: Save $300 on the Sonos Arc
• A Doyle Man by Michael Dirda
• Beyoncé's releases new song, website for Black creators on Juneteenth
• Staff Picks: Delightful Fuckers, Ephemeral New York by The Paris Review
• Virtual Reality: The True Cost of Admission (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
• Florida residents protesting mandatory masks is like a 'Parks and Rec' fever dream

• Is it 'Thunderbolts*' or *The New Avengers'?
• Pox: On 'Contagion' by Caleb Crain
• Night Shifts; Manufacturing Arrows by Chris Flynn
• Night Shifts; Manufacturing Arrows by Chris Flynn
• Apple is actively looking at AI search for Safari
• 'Turbo relationships' and the people falling in love at high speed during the pandemic
• Win Tickets to BAM’s Artist Talk! by Sadie Stein
• 'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for April 29
• A Typical Wall Street Republican
• Trump's campaign won't admit it, but they got trolled hard in Tulsa