The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a warning regarding Bitcoin transactions connected to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The culprits are "TraderTraitor-affiliated actors," who are also known by aliases like Lazarus Group and APT38.

The FBI has been closely monitoring the movement of approximately 1,580 bitcoins over the last day, an amount worth more than $40 million.

This movement has raised concerns that the DPRK may be preparing to sell off these digital assets.

The FBI's statement underlines:

"The FBI is cautioning cryptocurrency firms about recent blockchain activities associated with the pilfering of substantial amounts of cryptocurrency."

The agency also expresses concerns that the DPRK might attempt to cash out the bitcoins, which are valued at over $40 million.

These recent developments shed light on a series of high-profile thefts that have rocked the cryptocurrency landscape.

DPRK's Involvement in Crypto Theft

Notable incidents include a $60 million breach involving payment processor Alphapo.

The occurrence transpired in June 2023, pointing towards a carefully orchestrated campaign by the alleged wrongdoers.

Previous breaches had already garnered international attention.

Last year, the FBI disclosed that the same groups were responsible for the Horizon Bridge hack, resulting in losses surpassing $100 million.

The FBI highlighted:

"The DPRK TraderTraitor-affiliated actors were responsible for several high-profile international cryptocurrency heists."

Another stark example of the seriousness of this issue is the $625 million hack faced by "Sky Mavis" on the Ethereum-linked sidechain Ronin Bridge.

The FBI had previously verified this theft in conjunction with its cybersecurity advisory regarding TraderTraitor.

The cryptocurrency sector has demonstrated resilience and unified efforts against these cyber threats.

United Effort to Stop Crypto Theft

In a past incident, when Lazarus attempted to transfer $63 million connected to the Horizon Bridge, a collaborative response from exchanges and other crypto entities successfully thwarted the transfers.

Currently, the FBI has disclosed six specific bitcoin addresses tied to the stolen assets.

• 3LU8wRu4ZnXP4UM8Yo6kkTiGHM9BubgyiG
• 39idqitN9tYNmq3wYanwg3MitFB5TZCjWu
• 3AAUBbKJorvNhEUFhKnep9YTwmZECxE4Nk
• 3PjNaSeP8GzLjGeu51JR19Q2Lu8W2Te9oc
• 3NbdrezMzAVVfXv5MTQJn4hWqKhYCTCJoB
• 34VXKa5upLWVYMXmgid6bFM4BaQXHxSUoL