Binance says fake job interviews, AI tool used in US$6 bln theft blamed on N. Korea

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said Tuesday that hackers used fake job interviews and an internal artificial intelligence (AI) tool in a cyberattack that resulted in the theft of more than US$6 billion in digital assets last week.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) has attributed the theft to North Korea, identifying the incident to a North Korean hacking group it calls TraderTraitor, a name previously tied to other cryptocurrency thefts.

In its latest findings, Binance said approximately $6.34 billion in digital assets were affected by a multi-stage operation that involved fake interviews and internal AI tool and suspected of being carried out as early as June.

"In September, a fake recruiter on a job platform ran video interviews and sent an 'assignment' repository carrying 0-day malware undetected by endpoint tools," the exchange said in a report.

According to Binance, the attacker used an internal AI tool on Oct. 20 as a springboard to reach a container deployment token and later deployed a container to trigger the attack.

Binance said it blocked 57 suspected North Korea-linked threats this year.

On Tuesday (Korean time), Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, flatly dismissed the findings of the FBI, calling it a "grave political provocation" against Pyongyang.

The U.S. State Department reiterated concerns over North Korea's use of cybercrime to finance its weapons programs.

"The issue of DPRK cybercrime is a global problem that touches companies and jurisdictions around the world, including the United States," a U.S. State Department spokesman told Yonhap News Agency, referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, when asked about the department's position regarding the North's latest claim.