- A North Korean gang threatened to shut down servers at a Kansas hospital.
- Several weeks ago, Monaco was able to take these assets.
North Korea’s government has used cyber warfare to attack America in the past. In 2016 the U.S. FBI and Justice Department stopped them, seizing more than $500,000 in cryptocurrencies and extorting money. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco responded to Tuesday’s shooting.
It took a hospital in Kansas until the end of the week to close due to a ransom demand made by criminals. After the cyber crooks threatened to double the ransom, the hospital employees decided to pay up. Whether the payment was made in cryptocurrency wasn’t indicated in an official statement from the Department of Justice.
North Korean Hackers Are Attacking
North Korean government-sponsored cybercriminals have stolen about $400 million worth of cryptocurrencies this year. On April 2, the U.S. government issued a cybersecurity alert that highlighted North Korean criminal activity related to cryptocurrencies.
According to the statement from the French government, the FBI and DOJ were able to track the hacker’s movements and discover the whereabouts of the stolen cryptocurrency in the accounts of China-based money launderers that assist North Korean hackers regularly.
On the Colonial Pipeline, the U.S. Government had to use similar methods to recover Bitcoin. The researchers also found several ransom payments, including one from a Colorado hospital and $500,000 worth of stolen cryptocurrencies. The hackers behind the WannaCry attack demanded ransom in Bitcoin, or a privacy coin, such as Monero. Monaco claims that officials were able to seize these assets only a few weeks ago.
