Hackers stole more than 6 billion Brazilian reals

South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency recently revealed that in the past three years, that is, since 2017, North Korean hackers have stolen more than 1.5 trillion won. The value is equivalent to 6 billion Brazilian reals.

How did the theft happen?

According to the agency, the thefts mainly occur through illegal cyber activities, such as cryptocurrency theft and fraud. The service notes that North Korea is one of the countries in the world with the greatest capacity to commit these types of crimes.

At the beginning of this year, a, a blockchain data analysis platform, released a report stating that in 2021, North Korea was the country responsible for the largest cryptocurrency attacks in the world. Information indicates that approximately 400 million US dollars, equivalent to R$2.2 billion, have been stolen.

How did the hackers steal these amounts?

The main way hackers steal these sums in the digital environment is by exploiting flaws in the platform codes, as well as the famous phishing.

Hackers stole these amounts, and after the crime, money laundering and concealment of crimes began. South Korea’s National Intelligence Agency stated that these illegal cyber activities were one of North Korea’s main sources of income, and predicted that in the next year, this type of crime committed by North Korean hackers will increase.

What is phishing?

Phishing is a scam often used by cybercriminals. They send a message to users, either via email or other social media, with a link. By clicking, the malware steals personal and access data from victims.

For this reason, it is important to pay attention to messages received in various mediums and not to click on any link that has been sent. It is always necessary to analyze the veracity of information, suspecting unusual promotions, for example.

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