NORTH KOREAN HACKERS STEAL OVER $400 MILLION USING FAKE VIDEO CALLS — FBI
North Korean hackers have stolen more than US$400 million in cryptocurrency over the past 18 months by using secretly recorded videos and artificial intelligence to impersonate trusted individuals during online meetings, according to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The sophisticated cybercrime operation, known as FaceStealer, involves tricking unsuspecting victims into joining fake video meetings designed to resemble popular platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.
According to the FBI, hackers first compromise people’s communication and social media accounts before using recorded footage of those individuals to deceive their friends, colleagues and business associates.
During the fake meetings, victims are told that a technical problem, such as a malfunctioning microphone, needs to be fixed. They are then instructed to click a link or follow instructions that secretly install malicious software on their computers.
Once the devices are compromised, hackers can steal cryptocurrency, access confidential information and hijack accounts to target additional victims.
The FBI says it has seized more than 900 webcam videos used in the operation.
Investigators have also warned that the hackers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create convincing deepfake videos of influential personalities in the cryptocurrency industry.
American authorities have linked the operation to North Korean hacking groups, including Sapphire Sleet, also known as UNC1069.
The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that it had seized cloud infrastructure used in the scheme as part of efforts to disrupt North Korea’s cybercrime operations.
US officials accuse North Korea of using stolen cryptocurrency to finance government activities and illicit weapons programmes.
The revelations have raised fresh concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence in cybercrime, particularly as criminals exploit familiar faces and trusted relationships to deceive unsuspecting victims.