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A group of hackers linked to North Korea is responsible for a theft of 620 million dollars in cryptocurrencies in an attack in March on players of the Axie Infinity video game, US authorities reported Thursday.
It is one of the largest hacks against cryptocurrencies to date and raises questions about security in this nascent industry.
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Last month’s theft from the creators of Axie Infinitya video game in which cryptocurrency can be earned by playing or trading avatars, came just weeks after thieves made off with some $320 million (€295 million) in a similar attack.
“Thanks to our investigation, we confirm that the Lazarus Group and APT38, online actors associated with North Korea, are responsible for the theft.”the FBI said in a statement.
In 2014 Lazarus Group was accused of pirating Sony Pictures Entertainment as revenge for “The Interview,” a satirical film that mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
North Korea’s cyber program has expanded since the mid-1990s into a 6,000-strong unit, known as Office 121, operating from multiple countries, including Belarus, China, India, Malaysia and Russia, according to a report. 2020 US military report.
North Korean hackers stole some $400 million (€370 million) worth of cryptocurrency through cyberattacks on digital currency outlets last year, blockchain data platform Chainalysis claimed in January.
In the case of the robbery Axie Infinitypirates took advantage of weaknesses in the setup put in place by the company behind the game, Vietnam-based Sky Mavis.
The company had to address a problem: the ethereum blockchain, where transactions in the ether cryptocurrency are recorded, is relatively slow and expensive. So to allow the players of Axie Infinity to buy and sell at high speed, the company created an in-game currency and a sidechain with a bridge to the main Ethereum blockchain.
The result was faster and cheaper, but ultimately less secure.
Source: Elcomercio
