18-Month Spree Steals Over $400 Million: North Korean Hackers Target Crypto Professionals with FaceDealer Scam
Odaily Report: According to monitoring by Jeremy Robertson, North Korean hackers have been attacking crypto professionals using the "FaceDealer" tactic, stealing over $400 million within 18 months. The attackers hijack Telegram or LinkedIn accounts of industry contacts known to the targets, impersonating them to send meeting invitations and luring targets into fake Zoom or Teams meetings set up and controlled by the attackers. The attackers secretly record the target's camera for later identity impersonation; the "inviter" shown in the meeting is actually footage of a previous victim, and the attackers also apply pressure through fake participants and claims such as "you're on mute." Subsequently, the attackers pop up a fake error prompt, tricking the target into running a supposed update that installs malware, compromising their computer, crypto wallets, and social media accounts. The FBI says it has discovered and intercepted related recordings of over 900 victims, all of whom are seasoned professionals in crypto, Web3, and cybersecurity. The FBI also attributed last month's approximately $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea's "TraderTraitor" operation; Pyongyang denies the allegations, calling them "absurd."
