A group of North Korean government hackers, dubbed APT38, have been connected with attempts to steal more than $1 billion in 11 countries, Politico is reporting,
The website attributed its information to a cybersecurity firm, FireEye. The hackers are also suspected of having a role in the 2016 Bangladesh Bank theft of $81 million.
Politico reports that FireEye claims the hackers have hidden their tracks with destructive cyber attacks. FireEye said APT38 has conducted attacks before, during and since President Donald Trump’s outreach to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.
"This is a very insidious group," said Sandra Joyce, vice president of global intelligence for FireEye. "It will destroy networks and steal millions and millions of dollars.”
The group is known for its ability to escape detection until it can escape a targeted network with a payload, Politico said.
According to The Washington Free Beacon, the group uses a combination of fraudulent emails, malicious software and destructive cyber attacks.
"Based on observed activity, we judge that APT38's primary mission is targeting financial systems to raise large sums of money for the North Korean regime," said a report from FireEye.
“We can confirm that the APT38 operator activity is linked to the North Korean regime, but maintains a set of common characteristics, including motivation, malware, targeting, and (tactics, techniques, and procedures) that set it apart from other state sponsored operations.”
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