North Korea’s Lazarus Group Implicated in $41M Stake.com Crypto Heist

North Korea’s infamous Lazarus Group has come under the spotlight once again. This time, they’re being accused of stealing around $41 million in cryptocurrency from Stake.com, a popular online betting and casino platform. The FBI recently unveiled this information, sharing that the cybercrime group transferred the looted funds to several cryptocurrency addresses.

The FBI explained, “A theft of nearly $41 million in virtual currency from Stake.com occurred around September 4, 2023. Our investigations point to the Lazarus Group, also known as APT38, consisting of DPRK cyber operatives.” They also shared specific wallet addresses on Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and Polygon where the stolen money was reportedly sent.

For those keeping tabs, this isn’t the first time DPRK cyber agents have made headlines in the crypto world. This year alone, they’ve been implicated in heists totaling over $200 million. Two significant instances include the $60 million theft from Alphapo and Coinspaid in July 2023, and a massive $100 million grab from Atomic Wallet in June 2023.

The FBI has been active in cautioning businesses and the public about these breaches. Their statement emphasized, “We recommend businesses to scrutinize the blockchain data tied to the mentioned virtual currency addresses. It’s crucial to be cautious about transactions connected to, or stemming from, these addresses.”