The U.S. government’s action makes it easier to
seize any assets the hacking groups may have
within the jurisdiction of American financial
institutions, though they are likely to be limited
if they exist at all.
It may also have been intended to send a
message and bring North Korea’s behavior
into the light, said John Hultquist, director of
intelligence analysis at cybersecurity firm FireEye.
‘(T)hat’s important because this isn’t about two
governments, this is about North Korea and the
private financial sectors of countries all around
the world,” Hultquist said. “It’s important to put
a flag on it and get this information out there,
even if it will come to no avail.”
U.N. experts have recently delved into North
Korean use of cyberattacks to illegally raise
money for weapons of mass destruction
programs, investigating at least 35 instances
in 17 countries. They have called for sanctions
against ships providing gasoline and diesel to
the country.
A summary of a U.N. experts report found that
North Korea illegally acquired as much as $2
billion from its increasingly sophisticated cyber
activities against financial institutions and
cryptocurrency exchanges.
Lazarus Group, according to the U.S., has
targeted government, military and financial
institutions, manufacturing, international
shipping, media and entertainment, as well as
critical infrastructure, using cyber espionage,
data theft, and other methods. Along with
Bluenoroff, it stole roughly $80 million from the
Central Bank of Bangladesh’s New York Federal
Reserve account.