North Korean hackers stole over $400 million in cryptocurrency, says FBI
The FBI identified a social engineering scheme called FaceStealer that uses recorded video images to target individuals through fake meeting software.
North Korean state-backed hackers have stolen more than $400 million in cryptocurrency during the last 18 months, according to a report by ThePrint citing the FBI. The group, known as Sapphire Sleet or UNC1069, uses surreptitiously recorded images of people to target their contacts.
The FBI referred to this social engineering scheme as FaceStealer. In this process, targets are lured into video chats on fake versions of software such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom.
The scheme begins when targets receive invitations from genuine contacts whose social media and communication accounts have been compromised. Once on the call, the target encounters a mock technical error that requires clicking a link, which then infects the computer and social media accounts.
The FBI has identified and seized more than 900 victim webcam videos. The agency also stated that hackers are beginning to use artificial intelligence to create deepfake videos of influential people in the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries.
The FBI noted that Sapphire Sleet is a separate group from the North Korean hackers linked to the recent $6.3 billion hack of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.