US Treasury sanctions North Korean citizen who infiltrated hackers in technology companies

The US government accuses Song Kum Hyok of facilitating the infiltration of North Korean IT workers in technology and cryptocurrency companies, channeling illicit funds towards Pyongyang.

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• Song Kum Hyok was included in the list of sanctioned by its role in cybernetic schemes of the North Korean regime.
  
• North Korean workers infiltrate global companies to steal and wash funds.
  
• The crypto industry has been recurring white of these attacks, including the case of Axie Infinity.

He US Treasury Department He intensified his offensive against the cyber operations of North Korea by formally sanctioning Song Kum Hyok, a North Korean citizen identified as a key facilitator in malicious activities linked to regime’s hackers.

The Foreign Assets Control Office (OFAC) This Tuesday included Song on his list of Specially designated nationals (SDN)which implies its immediate blockade of the global financial system. According to the statement, cited by COINDESK, The sanction would have helped to place North Korean IT workers in foreign companies to send funds back to Pyongyang and even exploit the platforms from within.

These undercover employees, according to the Treasure, They are frequently inserted in technological industries and crypto with false credentials, participating in software and development projects where they take advantage of privileged access to subtract assets or confidential information.

A sophisticated infiltration scheme

In this regard, the Treasure Underline how the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (RPDC) has turned remote work into a state financing tool.

According to the official statement, “RPDC generates significant income through fraudulent hiring of IT workers who achieve employment in global companies, especially in technology and cryptocurrency sectors.”

Although the announcement did not mention specific cases or included targets of sanctioned crypto wallets, he did recalled that the Department had already sanctioned Lazarus Group, linked to multiple attacks, including the theft of USD $ 625 million to Axie Infinity and an even greater blow this year against Bybit for USD $ 1.5 billion.

Cryptoactives as a channel for washing

He Treasure He warned that North Korean workers use cryptocurrency exchange platforms to move payments received by their freelance contracts, hide their origin and then transfer them to the regime.

ARI RedBord, Global Policy Chief in TRM Labs, He warned that these workers are not simple remote employees. “They function as entry points to illicit income generation schemes and as vectors for intrusion activities, especially in the crypto sphere”, explained.

Redbord also highlighted the novelty that this time it is explicitly mentioned that North Korean operations work from China and Russia. This, according to him, reveals a “Crescent alignment between RPDC and certain jurisdictions.”

An increasingly visible pattern

The sanction to SANG is part of a broader trend observed in recent weeks, in which the Treasury Department He has intensified actions against North Korean financial mechanisms.

“SANG represents the operational layer of these schemes: it is not the hacker, but the facilitator. And that makes it a key piece to interrupt”Redbord stressed. He added that the Treasure It is increasingly focused on dismantling networks and chasing those who allow their operation, not only to those who execute the attacks.

This case highlights how North Korea continues to innovate in economic war through cybernetic strategies, and alerts the technological and crypto companies of the world on the importance of strengthening their verification and cybersecurity processes.

Article written by a content editor. Edited by Angel Di Matteo / Diariobitcoin

Original image of Diariobitcoin, created with artificial intelligence, for free use, licensed under public domain

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