North Korea


Tech

The Protocol: Inside North Korea's Campaign to Put Crypto Developers on Payroll

In this week's issue of CoinDesk's weekly blockchain tech newsletter, we've got names, details and anecdotes on crypto companies' unwitting hires of North Korean developers. PLUS month-end rankings for bitcoin, ether and other digital assets in the CoinDesk 20 index during a strangely bullish September.

"Naoki Murano," one of the suspected North Korean IT workers identified by ZachXBT, provided companies with an authentic-looking Japanese passport. (Image courtesy of Taylor Monahan)

Videos

North Korea Is Infiltrating the Crypto Industry; Diddy Hires Sam Bankman-Fried’s Appeal Lawyer

"CoinDesk Daily" host Christine Lee breaks down the biggest headlines in the crypto industry today, as a CoinDesk investigation reveals that crypto firms are unknowingly hiring IT workers from North Korea. Plus, Sean “Diddy” Combs has hired the lawyer who handles Sam Bankman-Fried's appeal and Bitwise registered a trust entity in the state of Delaware, taking a first step at an XRP ETF.

Recent Videos

Finance

WazirX Hacker Moves $11M Stolen Ether to Tornado Cash

Wallet data tracked by Arkham shows over 5,000 ETH, worth just over $11 million at current prices, from July’s attack on crypto exchange WazirX was moved to a new address at 07:19 UTC.

Crypto hacks, scams and exploits netted some $2 billion this year. (fikry anshor/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Policy

WazirX Co-Founder Nischal Shetty Says All Options Are on the Table for Fund Recovery

Shetty said that outreach efforts to different exchanges “are going to be crucial.”

WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty (WazirX)

Policy

Cambodian Payments Firm Received $150K From North Korean Hackers Lazarus Wallet: Reuters

The crypto was stolen by Lazarus hackers from three crypto companies in June and July last year.

Crypto hacks, scams and exploits netted some $2 billion this year. (fikry anshor/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

The Munchables Hack Is Way Worse Than It Seems

Apparently orchestrated from North Korea, the $63 million hack adds grist to the argument that crypto exploits pose a plausible national security risk.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" (Art Institute of Chicago)

Policy

Illicit Funds in Crypto Ecosystem Shrank 9% Last Year, Yet Criminals Still Handled Nearly $35B: TRM Labs

Almost half of all illicit crypto volume occurred on the TRON Blockchain, the report said.

(Alpha Rad/Unsplash)

Tech

Munchables Exploited for $62M, North Korea-Linked Exploiter Returns Private Keys to Web 3 Firm

The broader crypto community is calling for a controversial chain rollback in a bid to recover funds.

Computer Hacking Hackers (Shutterstock)

Videos

BlackRock Joins Asset Tokenization Race; North Korea Hackers Stole $3B in Crypto Since 2017

"CoinDesk Daily" host Jennifer Sanasie breaks down the biggest headlines impacting the crypto industry today, as BlackRock enters the tokenization race with a new fund on the Ethereum network. Plus, FTX CEO John J. Ray III pushes back against Sam Bankman-Fried’s claims that customers lost “zero” money in the exchange’s collapse. And, a UN Security Council study reveals that North Korea-linked crypto hackers stole $3 billion since 2017.

Recent Videos

Policy

North Korean Crypto Hackers Have Stolen $3B Since 2017, Says UN Security Council: Report

A UN Security Council panel is investigating 17 crypto heists in 2023, for which North Korea may have been responsible, which were valued at more than $750 million

North Korea (Micha Brändli/Unsplash)