North Korea’s Lazarus Group: The New Bitcoin Billionaires! 💰😱

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In a most astonishing turn of events, the Lazarus Group, notorious for their recent escapade involving a $1.5 billion heist at Bybit, has now ascended to the lofty heights of cryptocurrency royalty, clutching a staggering 13,518 BTC, valued at a cool $1.13 billion, as reported by the ever-watchful Arkham Intelligence. One can only imagine the jubilation in Pyongyang! 🎉

Should this trend continue, North Korea might just find itself ranked as the fifth-largest nation-state holder of Bitcoin, trailing behind the likes of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. Who knew that a country better known for its missile launches would also be a contender in the crypto arena? Talk about diversification! 🌍

In a delightful twist of fate, the cybercriminals’ digital treasure trove now surpasses the combined holdings of Bhutan and El Salvador, which, let’s face it, is a rather embarrassing position for those nations. Perhaps they should consider a career change? 🤔

In a stroke of genius, Lazarus has recently converted some of its ill-gotten ETH into BTC, proving that even hackers can appreciate a good investment strategy. After all, why settle for one cryptocurrency when you can have them all? 💸

BREAKING NEWS: North Korea’s Lazarus group has converted the stolen $ETH to $BTC after the Bybit hack, now holding 13,562 $BTC worth around $1.12B per data from @arkham.

— Jason Ai. Williams (@GoingParabolic) March 17, 2025

Lazarus The Bitcoin Whale

Arkham further divulges that the wallets associated with Lazarus are not merely resting on their laurels; they also hold 13,702 ETH worth approximately $26 million, 5,022 BNB valued at $3 million, and a smattering of DAI and stablecoins. It’s a veritable buffet of digital assets! 🍽️

“We grind and HODL just so that a hacker group can steal over $1B in crypto. It’s time for us to take the market back,” lamented crypto investor Kyle Chassé, clearly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Since 2017, North Korea-linked actors have pilfered over $6 billion in crypto assets, with the spoils reportedly funneled into the country’s ballistic missile program. Who knew that missiles and Bitcoin had so much in common? Both are explosive in their own right! 💣

On March 13, the group deposited 400 ETH (worth around $750,000 at the time) into the Tornado Cash mixing service, a move that has blockchain security firm CertiK raising eyebrows. “The funds trace to the Lazarus group’s activity on the Bitcoin network,” they noted, as if we needed further confirmation of their nefarious dealings. 🕵️‍♂️

In a further display of their technical prowess, the Lazarus Group has unleashed six new malware packages designed to infiltrate developer environments, pilfer credentials, extract cryptocurrency data, and install backdoors. It’s like a digital heist movie, but with less glamour and more coding! 🎬

The malware, charmingly dubbed “BeaverTail,” is cunningly embedded in packages that masquerade as legitimate JavaScript libraries, specifically targeting cryptocurrency wallets like Solana and Exodus. One can only hope that the developers are paying attention! 🦫

OKX Suspends DEX

In a related development, crypto exchange OKX has suspended its Web3 decentralized exchange aggregator following the detection of a “coordinated effort by the Lazarus group to misuse our DeFi services.” It seems the hackers are not just content with stealing; they also want to play in the sandbox! 🏖️

In the wake of the Bybit hack, OKX has rolled out a hacker address detection system for its Web3 DEX aggregator, along with a real-time tracking system to block the attackers’ latest addresses. It’s a cat-and-mouse game, and one can only hope the mice are a bit more clever this time! 🐭

Last week, Bloomberg reported that the OKX DEX aggregator was used to launder a staggering $100 million in crypto linked to Lazarus and their audacious heist. It’s a small world, after all! 🌐

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2025-03-17 10:15