The FBI has identified the North Korean government-backed Lazarus Group as the force behind a recent attack against a cryptocurrency exchange, which saw the hackers steal over $41 million worth of cryptocurrency.
The attack, which occurred earlier this year in June, saw the hackers exploit a vulnerability in the Stake Casino, a gambling site based on the Ethereum blockchain, to gain control of the wallets.
The attack was notable both for its sophistication and the sheer amount of funds stolen, and the FBI has now concluded that the Lazarus Group is the likely culprit. The group is an infamous band of government-sponsored hackers, who are believed to have carried out a number of high-profile attacks against banks in the past, as well as the WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017.
Unsurprisingly, the Lazarus Group is believed to be linked to the North Korean government, making this the first major cyber attack by North Korea against a cryptocurrency exchange.
It is unclear how the group managed to exploit the vulnerability, but the FBI is working with Stake Casino to investigate the incident and recover the stolen funds if possible. In the meantime, the exchange has said that it has taken steps to improve its security and prevent similar attacks from occurring in the future.