US to offer $10m for information on hackers linked to North Korea

The US State Department has revealed it is offering up to $10m as a reward for information on people associated with North Korean state-sponsored hacking gangs.

The US government has said it is interested in information on hackers that are part of groups including Lazarus Group, Guardians of Peace, Kimsuky and APT38 amongst others.

The Department said, “If you have information on any individuals associated with North Korean government-linked malicious cyber groups (such as Andariel, APT38, Bluenoroff, Guardians of Peace, Kimsuky, or Lazarus Group) and who are involved in targeting US critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, you may be eligible for a reward.”

According to Security Week, Lazarus is the commonly-used term when referring to the cyber activities of North Korean hackers, including cyberespionage, cryptocurrency heists and financially motivated operations.

Lazarus, for example, has been blamed for various high-profile cyberattacks, including the recent $600m cryptocurrency heist of Ronin. Meanwhile, Andariel, Bluenoroff, and Guardians of Peace are believed to be subgroups within Lazarus/Hidden Cobra. ‘APT38’ is another term used to describe the same activities.

Earlier this year, UN experts remarked that North Korea is continuing to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from financial institutions, exchanges and crypto firms.

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