Digital assets worth $1.5 billion, equivalent to nearly 16 billion Swedish kronor, were stolen. The Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit reported that they were robbed of large sums in the cryptocurrency ethereum – according to Bybit, hackers managed to manipulate a routine transfer.
The USA is now pointing the finger at North Korea. According to the FBI, a group of North Korean hackers calling themselves Tradertraitor, also known as the Lazarus group, are behind the attack. The group has previously been accused of several high-profile cryptocurrency thefts.
Pyongyang's so-called cyber warfare unit, Bureau 121, consists of around 6,000 North Koreans operating from several different countries, the US military established in a report in 2020. A UN panel has previously stated that the stolen funds finance North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
