[2019-03-28] North Korean Hackers Don’t Give a $#%! about Crypto Winter

[CryptoVance]

https://www.ccn.com/north-korean-hackers-dont-give-a-about-crypto-winter

The cryptocurrency sector may still be in a bearish phase, but the state-sponsored North Korean hacking group Lazarus remains absurdly bullish on the bitcoin industry – at least if its continued focus on the sector is anything to go by.

For Lazarus, Crypto Exchanges are the Geese that lay Golden Eggs

Per cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, both Mac and Windows OS users remain vulnerable to the group’s ongoing hacking effort. Lazarus is understood to have launched the operation in November last year.

For this effort, the hacking group has created custom PowerShell scripts which communicate with malicious command & control (C2) servers and run commands initiated by the operator. The names of the C2 server script names are made to look like WordPress files or other open source projects.

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[Naida_BR]

Why should they?
It is "easy" money for them in some cases. It doesn't matter if we are in a bearish or in a bull market there is a chance for hackers in making money anonymously so they don't miss the chance to do it even in the Crypto Winter.

[anu1908]

Why should they?
It is "easy" money for them in some cases. It doesn't matter if we are in a bearish or in a bull market there is a chance for hackers in making money anonymously so they don't miss the chance to do it even in the Crypto Winter.

agreed. those who think about crypto winter are traders, speculators, or 'investors'. for those who can hack an exchange, it doesn't really matter how much Bitcoin or crypto worth, they can still make a ton in a short time.

[BitHodler]

Why should they?
It is "easy" money for them in some cases. It doesn't matter if we are in a bearish or in a bull market there is a chance for hackers in making money anonymously so they don't miss the chance to do it even in the Crypto Winter.

Well said. If you think logically, exchanges right now are as stacked with coins as they were during the peak of 2017s bull run. Hackers start with $0 and end up with whatever amount they end up with. Everything above $0 is a gain for them.

Another thing is that everything related to Russia and North Korea allows news outlets to generate cheap clicks, especially with these headlines, so take it with a grain of salt.

State hackers are good in making it look like it was x country that initiated a cyber attack, while in reality it's not like that at all. It's too easy to put all the blame on North Korea, regardless of how much we dislike them.

[tyz]

The title is odd. North Korea is dependent on foreign currency. Due to the many sanctions it is difficult to obtain them. In the past, this was attempted by exporting illegally produced goods to China, for example, where they were re-edited to "Made in China" and then sold to the world. With crypto currencies obtaining foreign currencies is of course all much easier and it is well known that North Korean hackers are not the worst. So why should they care about the value of Bitcoin?

[1Referee]

It's like saying bank robbers are still robbing banks despite the weaker local fiat currency....... 

I find it quite interesting how these articles are so freely claiming that this hacker group is responsible for so many thefts, yet even authorities aren't able to actually link hacks to them. I read an article a few days ago where North Korea was said to hold like $800 million in stolen crypto. It's all just words, no actual evidence backing up their claims.

News outlets are digging very deep for content other than the price going up or down. 

[bbc.reporter]

Why should they?
It is "easy" money for them in some cases. It doesn't matter if we are in a bearish or in a bull market there is a chance for hackers in making money anonymously so they don't miss the chance to do it even in the Crypto Winter.

agreed. those who think about crypto winter are traders, speculators, or 'investors'. for those who can hack an exchange, it doesn't really matter how much Bitcoin or crypto worth, they can still make a ton in a short time.

It has always been cryptochristmas for all the hackers who have not been caught yet hehehe. The best hacker or group of hackers of them all is the Dao hacker. No one has gotten any leads on who he is or who they are.

[Kakmakr]

It is simple math, because they know Bitcoin's <Crypto currencies> weakest link are the massive exploits in the code being used by these centralized entities. They also see the massive amounts being traded daily and also coins being stored on these exchanges. So, if you focus all your effort on a high concentration target like exchanges, you have the potential to score the jackpot, if you find a weakness in their armour. 

Bitcoin also provides them with anonymity, so it is easy to shift those coins around without being detected. Bitcoin the technology cannot be blamed for this, the bad code being used by these third parties should get all the blame. 

[NeuroticFish]

The cryptocurrency sector may still be in a bearish phase, but the state-sponsored North Korean hacking group Lazarus remains absurdly bullish on the bitcoin industry

First of all, for thieves, free money is always free money.
Second, anybody with some background in markets knows that crypto winter is just a phase of a cycle and a new bullish period is just around the corner, maybe a new ATH too. I expect N. Korea also be very active on buying Bitcoin.

[Kemarit]

State hackers are good in making it look like it was x country that initiated a cyber attack, while in reality it's not like that at all. It's too easy to put all the blame on North Korea, regardless of how much we dislike them.

This one. Everyone has a scape-goat and sadly it looks like North Korea is to put to blame for everything including cyber attacks. Of course there could be reason that "Lazarus" project is for real, but it doesn't make sense if they focused mainly on stealing crypto from exchanges. This might be just a front, but something deep inside is going on in North Korea but I do think it's more on stealing state secrets and then those who crypto hacks are just some cover up to a more malicious intent.

[pixie85]

It's the same group that wanted to stop the release of The Interview movie. You know the one where they kill Kim in the end
They hacked some servers and released private emails but the movie still got released.

 NK is such a sad country threatening huffing and stomping like an angry child. If they invested in cryptocurrencies years ago they wouldn't have to worry about poverty and sanctions now.

[1BTC EQUALS 1CAR]

Why should they?
It is "easy" money for them in some cases. It doesn't matter if we are in a bearish or in a bull market there is a chance for hackers in making money anonymously so they don't miss the chance to do it even in the Crypto Winter.

agreed. those who think about crypto winter are traders, speculators, or 'investors'. for those who can hack an exchange, it doesn't really matter how much Bitcoin or crypto worth, they can still make a ton in a short time.

It has always been cryptochristmas for all the hackers who have not been caught yet hehehe. The best hacker or group of hackers of them all is the Dao hacker. No one has gotten any leads on who he is or who they are.

There are still a lot of money out there of course. If they wanted to snatch a million dollar of crypto in value, would that change if it's in a bear market? The article who posted this must be barely using logic. It's even obvious in the coinmarketcap that the value of those digital assets are still billions in total so it's still always a hot summer vacation for these Lazarus hacker group.