FBI Identifies Culprits of $41M Casino Heist, Bringing Total to Over $1B Stolen by Group
The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it has identified who is responsible for a whopping $41 million heist from an online casino platform.
The agency pinned the shocking digital theft Monday from Stakes.com on a criminal organization known as the Lazarus Group, which is affiliated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea.
“The FBI has confirmed that this theft took place on or about September 4, 2023, and attributes it to the Lazarus Group (also known as APT38) which is comprised of DPRK cyber actors,” the FBI announced in a Wednesday statement.
🇰🇵 FBI says North Korean ‘Lazarus Group’ hackers are behind the $41M StakeCom crypto casino hack.
The FBI has officially identified the Lazarus Group as the hacker responsible for the theft of $41 million from Stake. com, as reported on September 8 on the FBI’s official website. pic.twitter.com/8SBW53RHYg
— DG Crypto News (@dgcryptonews) September 8, 2023
The North Korean hackers stole cryptocurrency in the form of Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon and Bitcoin, the statement said.
Edward Craven, Stake’s co-founder, told the cryptocurrency news site DL News that a function for authorizing cryptocurrency transactions was compromised in a “sophisticated breach.”
The online casino remains functional.
The prospects for recovering the digital currency do not appear strong and the FBI appears to have limited options for action.
North Korea doesn’t participate in the international financial system, nor heed the rulings of Western courts.
“The FBI will continue to expose and combat the DPRK’s use of illicit activities to generate revenue for the regime, including cybercrime and virtual currency theft,” the agency pledged.
The FBI is warning internet users against interacting with a set of cryptocurrency wallet addresses associated with the hackers.
The FBI says that the organization has stolen $200 million in cyberspace in 2023 alone, according to the announcement.
The Lazarus Group has stolen more than $1 billion through hacking, according to Vice News.
The group is believed to have been behind the 2014 hack on Sony Pictures — a cyberattack spurred by a Sony film satirizing an assassination attempt on North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The thefts are thought to fund the North Korean regime — including its dangerous nuclear weapons program.
Kim is traveling to Russia later this month in a meeting that could see his country provide weapons for Russia’s use in its war in Ukraine, according to The Associated Press.
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