How an ordinary cryptocurrency mixer became Kim Jong-un's tool in the nuclear race.
North Korean hacker group Lazarus, known for its numerous large-scale cryptocurrency thefts, has moved to use the YoMix bitcoin mixer to launder stolen funds. This was reported by the analytical company Chainalysis, noting that the group adapted its methods of money laundering after the governments of some countries imposed sanctions on a number of bitcoin mixing services that hackers used earlier.
Cryptocurrency mixer YoMix recorded a significant influx of funds in 2023, which, according to experts, is not due to the growing popularity of the service, but primarily to the malicious activity of Lazarus. Cryptocurrency laundering is only a part of the operations of North Korean hackers, which is important for financing the group's activities and North Korea's nuclear weapons development program.
Lazarus has committed a series of major cryptocurrency thefts in recent years, including the March 2022 hack of the Ronin Network (Axie Infinity) for $ 625 million, the June 2022 hack of Harmony Horizon for $ 100 million in losses, and the July 2023 theft of funds from Alphapo for $ 60 million in cryptocurrencies. dollars.
From January 2017 to December 2023, North Korean hacking groups including Lazarus, Kimsuky, and Andariel collectively stole about $ 3 billion in cryptocurrency. The stolen funds passed through various mixing services that did not comply with anti-money laundering measures and accepted deposits even from wallets marked as suspicious.
The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on some such platforms, including Blender, Tornado Cash and Sinbad, used by Lazarus hackers to launder funds. However, after each sanction, Lazarus found a new platform, and Chainalysis indicates that YoMix was the last service used by hackers.
In addition, Chainalysis experts found that in 2023, cryptocurrency wallet addresses marked as suspicious sent $ 22.2 billion to cryptocurrency services, which is significantly less compared to $ 31.5 billion in 2022. But the use of blockchain bridges has grown significantly: to $ 743 million in 2023, compared to $ 312 million received in 2022.
North Korean hacker group Lazarus, known for its numerous large-scale cryptocurrency thefts, has moved to use the YoMix bitcoin mixer to launder stolen funds. This was reported by the analytical company Chainalysis, noting that the group adapted its methods of money laundering after the governments of some countries imposed sanctions on a number of bitcoin mixing services that hackers used earlier.
Cryptocurrency mixer YoMix recorded a significant influx of funds in 2023, which, according to experts, is not due to the growing popularity of the service, but primarily to the malicious activity of Lazarus. Cryptocurrency laundering is only a part of the operations of North Korean hackers, which is important for financing the group's activities and North Korea's nuclear weapons development program.
Lazarus has committed a series of major cryptocurrency thefts in recent years, including the March 2022 hack of the Ronin Network (Axie Infinity) for $ 625 million, the June 2022 hack of Harmony Horizon for $ 100 million in losses, and the July 2023 theft of funds from Alphapo for $ 60 million in cryptocurrencies. dollars.
From January 2017 to December 2023, North Korean hacking groups including Lazarus, Kimsuky, and Andariel collectively stole about $ 3 billion in cryptocurrency. The stolen funds passed through various mixing services that did not comply with anti-money laundering measures and accepted deposits even from wallets marked as suspicious.
The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on some such platforms, including Blender, Tornado Cash and Sinbad, used by Lazarus hackers to launder funds. However, after each sanction, Lazarus found a new platform, and Chainalysis indicates that YoMix was the last service used by hackers.
In addition, Chainalysis experts found that in 2023, cryptocurrency wallet addresses marked as suspicious sent $ 22.2 billion to cryptocurrency services, which is significantly less compared to $ 31.5 billion in 2022. But the use of blockchain bridges has grown significantly: to $ 743 million in 2023, compared to $ 312 million received in 2022.
