N. Korea-linked hackers steal crypto assets worth at least 1.7 bil. yen
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- North Korea-linked hackers have targeted engineers in more than 100 countries and regions, including Japan, stealing cryptocurrency a
In what authorities are calling a sophisticated cybercrime, hackers with ties to North Korea have targeted IT engineers across more than 100 nations, including Japan. The perpetrators have managed to steal cryptocurrency assets valued at a minimum of 1.7 billion yen ($11 million) and illicitly transfer these funds to North Korea, according to Japan's National Police Agency and other sources.
Japanese authorities have revealed a method that enables the hackers to remotely control devices belonging to supporters in the country, thus facilitating the unauthorized acquisition of foreign currency. The disclosure of this information is intended to pinpoint and denounce any nations or organizations alleged to be involved in the cyberattacks, with the objective of issuing warnings and discouraging future incidents.
This joint statement was issued in collaboration with authorities from the United States, Australia, and Germany.
According to Japan's police agency, the hackers allegedly circulated fraudulent job postings on various recruitment platforms and other websites starting in December 2025 and persisting until around July this year. The attack was successful in infiltrating over 30,000 devices operated by information technology engineers who applied for these deceitful positions. As a consequence of the breach, more than 7,000 cryptocurrency assets were stolen.
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