The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Thursday that state-backed hackers in North Korea stole more than $400 million worth of cryptocurrencies over the past 18 months, through surreptitiously taken photos of people and then using them to target their acquaintances.
Victims are lured into video chats through fake versions of video meeting programs such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, and within a scheme that the FBI calls the “Face Stealer” or “Face Stealer,” where the targets receive invitations from real contacts with whom they have previously interacted, but their accounts on social media and other means of communication have been hacked and their photos are secretly recorded.
Once they join the call — which is also recorded — victims encounter a fake technical error that requires them to be fixed by clicking on a link, which in turn infects the victim's computer and social media accounts. The victim's contacts are then used to target other people.
The alert issued on Wednesday indicated that the FBI identified and seized more than 900 videos captured by the victims' webcams.
The FBI said that electronic hackers have begun using artificial intelligence to create fake video clips using deepfake technology of well-known and influential figures in the cryptocurrency and block chain industries.
The FBI attributed these activities to a group of North Korean hackers known as “Sapphire Slate” or “UNC1069,” which is a separate group from the North Korean hackers whom the FBI linked to the recent hack of the cryptocurrency trading platform Binance, during which $6.3 billion was stolen.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth awarded a high medal to the soldier who rebuked him and his companions at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Today, Thursday, Hegseth posted pictures on social media showing him pinning the medal on the chest of a soldier and shaking his hand, and wrote in his post: “We love soldiers.” We like standards. Well done, Specialist Corporal.”
Hegseth was welcomed at the Pentagon by the army unit charged with guarding the shrine, and Specialist Corporal Thomas Iglesias was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal “for performing his duties at the Shrine of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026,” according to the Pentagon announced.
Iglesias had rebuked Hegseth and a group of his aides when they laughed loudly after they took photos at the site following a ceremony that included President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
A video showed Hegseth taking photos on the empty stairs in front of the grave on Wednesday with his wife, Jennifer, his chief of staff, Ricky Boria, deputy chief of staff, Patrick Weaver, and chief counsel Tammy Radabaugh.
The grave is one of the most revered and revered war memorials in the United States, as it represents the resting place of unknown soldiers from World Wars I and II and the Korean War. Since 1948, it has been guarded around the clock, in all weather conditions, by a soldier from the Army’s Third Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Old Guard.”
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced today (Thursday) that it has arrested and deported more people in the last 12 months than any other period in its 23-year history.
The agency said that it deported more than 483,000 people during the fiscal year ending last September 30, an increase of 9 percent compared to its previous highest level of 442,000 in the same period last year, and an increase of 78 percent compared to 271,000 people in 2024, which is the last year of Joe Biden’s presidency.
In terms of arrests, the agency detained more than 474,000 people during the last 12 months, which is equivalent to twice the number of arrests recorded in the previous year (239,000 people), and more than 4 times the number recorded in 2024 (113,000 people).
It is noteworthy that the agency has not published such detailed data since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, including statistics for 2025, according to the Associated Press.
The press release also did not contain any details regarding the number of immigrants with criminal records, contrary to what was usual in previous administrations.
In a comment, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullen said: “Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, the immigration agency has been given free rein to target and deport illegal aliens, so that we can save American lives.”
The agency concluded its statement by noting that more than 48,000 arrests were carried out last September alone, culminating a two-month upward wave of record levels, reaching its peak last August with about 51,000 arrests recorded.
