US unseals charges against 3 North Korean hackers for their role in WannaCry ransomware, Sony hack,

[MelissaB]

US unseals charges against 3 North Korean hackers for their role in WannaCry ransomware, Sony hack, bank heists, and other cyberattacks.

Prosecutors also charged a Canadian who helped them launder money.

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DOJ announces charges against North Korean hacker spies accused of stealing more than $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrency

The Justice Department on Wednesday unsealed charges against three North Korean hacker spies accused of conspiring to steal and extort more than $1.3 billion in cash and cryptocurrency from banks and businesses around the world.

The indictment builds upon 2018 charges brought against one of the alleged hackers in connection with the North Korean regime’s 2014 cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, marking the first time the United States charged a Pyongyang operative.

The move shows the degree to which North Korea relies on financial cyber theft to obtain hard currency in a country whose main exports are under United Nations and U.S. sanctions, and that is further isolated by a self-imposed coronavirus blockade.

Officials also announced that a Canadian-American citizen has pleaded guilty to serving as a money launderer who assisted the alleged North Korean hackers.

More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/north-korea-hackers-banks-theft/2021/02/17/3dccf0dc-7129-11eb-93be-c10813e358a2_story.html

[MelissaB]

1. Demers: North Korean regime has become a criminal syndicate with a flag

Demers: "Simply put, the [North Korean] regime has become a criminal syndicate with a flag, which harnesses its state resources to steal hundreds of millions of dollars."

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