FBI accuses North Korea of ​​$100 million heist

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Washington CNN—

The FBI on Monday night accused hackers linked to the North Korean government of stealing $100 million in cryptocurrency last June from a California-based company.

North Korean agents this month laundered more than $60 million of the money stolen in the June hack, according to the FBI statement. The bureau said part of the $60 million had been frozen, but did not specify the amount.

It is part of a series of digital heists that US officials fear Pyongyang is using to fund its illicit nuclear and ballistic weapons program. North Korean hackers have stolen the equivalent of billions of dollars in recent years attacking cryptocurrency exchanges, according to the United Nations.

In the June hack, the intruders targeted a cryptocurrency transfer bridge or program operated by Harmony, a California-based cryptocurrency company.

In addition to hacking into cryptocurrency firms, suspected North Koreans have impersonated other nationalities to apply for jobs at those firms and send money back to Pyongyang, US agencies have publicly warned. A CNN investigation has found at least one cryptocurrency entrepreneur who unwittingly paid a North Korean tech worker tens of thousands of dollars.

Despite the fall in the value of cryptocurrency last year, alleged North Korean hacks of virtual currency assets have continued. Last April, the FBI blamed North Korean government-backed hackers for hacking an estimated $600 million from a popular video game company.

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