U.S Department of Justice accuses North Korean hackers of breaching a cryptocurrency firm and misappropriating almost one million dollars

PANews reported on July 1 that the U.S. Department of Justice has charged four North Korean hackers for infiltrating a blockchain startup based in Atlanta by posing as remote developers. The hackers used forged identity documents to gain trust, ultimately stealing around $900,000 in cryptocurrency through two separate incidents in 2022—$175,000 in the first and $740,000 in the second. They then laundered the stolen funds through cryptocurrency mixers and false identities.

Analysts believe this activity is part of North Korea’s broader effort to finance its weapons programs. By exploiting weaknesses in remote work infrastructure, the hackers bypassed standard background checks and gained access to sensitive company systems. In response, the Justice Department launched coordinated actions across 16 states, seizing 29 financial accounts, 21 fraudulent websites, and nearly 200 computers tied to North Korea’s illicit IT operations.