North Korean hackers steal more than $400 million using video images, FBI says
The scheme used fake video meetings and recorded webcam footage to target crypto and Web3 workers, while investigators seized more than 900 victim videos.
- On Thursday, the FBI reported that North Korean state-backed hackers stole more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over the past 18 months using surreptitiously recorded video images to target victims' contacts through the 'FaceStealer' campaign.
- Hackers impersonate trusted contacts on imposter versions of Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, luring targets into video calls where they encounter mock technical errors requiring software updates that actually install malware.
- The FBI noted that hackers often include multiple fake participants in Zoom and Teams sessions "to add pressure" on targets, and once malware infects a device, it steals cryptocurrency, passwords, and browser cookies to target further victims.
- Pursuant to a federal warrant, the FBI seized over 900 webcam videos of FaceStealer victims and shut down the cloud-based infrastructure used in the scheme, though officials warn hackers may continue targeting users.
- Beyond cryptocurrency investors, attackers also target open-source software programmers to tamper with projects. FBI Assistant Director Patrick Grandy of the Los Angeles Field Office warned the scheme "exploits our trust in ubiquitous video conference platforms and valued personal relationships.
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175 Articles
FBI Shuts Down North Korean FaceStealer Crypto Scam
Federal agents dismantled a North Korean FaceStealer operation that stole more than $400 million in cryptocurrency by secretly recording tech workers on fake video calls to fund the regime’s weapons. The FBI and Justice Department took control of the hackers’ online setup and seized the stolen webcam videos used to impersonate trusted contacts, according to […]
North Korean hackers tricked hundreds of people – with fake video calls. Then they stole four billion kronor. “They exploit our trust in video platforms,” said the FBI’s Patrick Grandy in a statement.
FBI disrupts crypto theft scheme by North Korean hacking group; billions stolen so far
The FBI said the North Korean hacking group is targeting cryptocurrency executives, Web3 industries, as well as people involved in the development and maintenance of open-source software.
"If you can't imagine a situation where you yourself could be a victim of it, you're not thinking creatively enough."
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