Key Takeaways
- FBI warns that North Korean cybercriminals are targeting Bitcoin ETF companies.
- These scams use social engineering and phishing techniques to steal sensitive information.
- North Korea’s Lazarus Group has stolen hundreds of millions from crypto platforms.
North Korean cybercriminals are increasingly focusing on Bitcoin ETF companies and other cryptocurrency sectors, the FBI warned on Tuesday.
The agency noted that the state-backed actors are using advanced social engineering techniques to trick employees in the Bitcoin space, including those involved with Bitcoin ETFs.
Fake job offers
According to the FBI, these attacks involve impersonation and fake job offers aimed at stealing sensitive personal data.
The warning highlights the criminals’ research on targets linked to Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over recent months, raising concerns about potential future cyber attacks.
The FBI cautioned that these scams could deceive even cybersecurity experts due to their growing sophistication.
Lazarus
The agency also noted that North Korea has a history of targeting cryptocurrency platforms, often leveraging groups like Lazarus to steal funds.
Last year, the Lazarus Group was accused of swiping $622 million in crypto from the Ronin network.
While the FBI’s alert didn’t specify the assets being targeted, Bitcoin ETFs are the most prominent in the U.S. market, having been approved by the SEC earlier this year.
