FBI says North Korean hackers stole over $400 million in crypto using fake video calls

North Korean state-backed hackers have stolen more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over the past 18 months, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said, according to reporting by Reuters.

The FBI attributed the activity to a cluster of North Korean hackers known as "Sapphire Sleet" or UNC1069. The FBI said this is a separate group from the North Korean hackers linked by the FBI and private industry to the recent $6.3 billion hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

How the scheme works

The FBI refers to the social engineering scheme as "FaceStealer." Targets are lured to video chats on imposter versions of video meeting software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

The targets receive invitations from genuine contacts they have previously interacted with. However, those contacts’ social media and communication accounts have been compromised, and their images have been secretly recorded.

Once on the call, the targets are also being recorded. They encounter a mock technical error which requires a fix by clicking a link. Clicking the link infects the target’s computer and social media accounts. The target’s contacts are then used to target additional people.

FBI guidance and seizures

In guidance published on Wednesday, the FBI said it had identified and seized more than 900 webcam recordings of victims.

The FBI said hackers are starting to use artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos of well-known and influential people in the cryptocurrency and blockchain industries. These attacks combine account takeovers, fake video calls, and video manipulation to infiltrate victims’ networks of contacts and steal cryptocurrency.

Why it matters

The thefts show how state-backed hackers are combining recorded video, compromised personal accounts, and AI-generated deepfakes to steal cryptocurrency at scale. The FBI’s advisory describes a continuing campaign in which each infected victim’s contacts become the next set of targets.

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Sources

• mezha.net: North Korean Hackers Steal $400 Million Through Fake Video Calls
• internazionale.it: North Korean hackers steal more than $400 million using video images, FBI says - Internazionale

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.