The Lazarus hacking group from North Korea has lost almost 5 million $ due to the freezing of funds from stablecoin issuers following an investigation by a blockchain analyst.
The North Korean hacking group Lazarus, one of the largest cybercriminal organizations in the cryptocurrency world, faced the freezing of almost $5 million in stablecoins. Following an investigation by well-known blockchain investor ZachXBT, stablecoin issuers Tether, Circle, Paxos and Techteryx have frozen these funds. In total, almost 7 million were frozen, including additional amounts on cryptocurrency exchanges. ZachXBT’s investigation covered more than 25 crypto industry hacks carried out by the Lazarus group between 2020 and 2023. Hackers used P2P markets to exchange cryptocurrency for fiat money, often with the help of Chinese OTC traders. Lazarus is known to have laundered more than 200 million$ during this period.
The North Korean-backed Lazarus group is known for its cyberattacks on cryptocurrency companies, which have resulted in $3 billion in losses over the past six years. Stablecoin issuers often freeze funds linked to illegal activities, in particular, in 2023 Tether froze $225 million linked to an international human trafficking scheme.
The freezing of 5 million$ linked to Lazarus highlights the importance of independent investigations in combating cybercrime and protecting the crypto industry from illegal activities such as money laundering.