North Korean hackers steal $400 million with AI to fund government weapons program, FBI says
FBI warns of the 'FaceStealer' scheme, which uses video calls manipulated by AI to infiltrate malware into the devices of cryptocurrency experts.
Quick Look
The FBI revealed that hackers linked to North Korea stole more than $400 million in the last 18 months through the 'FaceStealer' scheme, using deepfakes and social engineering to infect devices and fund the regime's weapons programs.
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Why It Matters
The North Korean regime has been repeatedly accused of using cryptocurrency theft to finance its weapons programs, something Pyongyang denies.
Hackers backed by North Korea stole more than $400 million recently through a "social engineering" scheme that includes identity theft and fake video calls manipulated with AI, the FBI said.
In a statement this Thursday (12), Brett Leatherman, director of the FBI's Cyber Division, stated that the money is used to finance the government's weapons program:
"The North Korean regime relies on revenues from large-scale cryptocurrency theft to fund its illicit weapons program, having stolen billions of dollars in recent years."
This month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) accused another group of hackers linked to North Korea of stealing US$6 billion (R$33.6 billion) from the cryptocurrency platform Binance, accusations that Pyongyang denies.
The American agency indicated that, in addition to the attack on Binance, North Korean hackers have "aggressively targeted individuals in the cryptocurrency and Web3 sectors through deceptive social engineering tactics."
The scheme, dubbed by the FBI as "FaceStealer", allowed the theft of more than 400 million dollars in the last 18 months.
Cybercriminals pose as someone known to the victim to lure them into a video call, using fake videos manipulated with AI, known as "deepfakes".
During the call, they simulate "a technical error", causing the victim to click on a link or message that allows the installation of "malware" to infiltrate their device.
Hackers then use people's contact lists, social networks, and messaging apps to attract new victims.
"FaceStealer is a highly effective social engineering scheme capable of deceiving even highly experienced computer users in technical and security matters. It exploits our trust in ubiquitous video calling platforms and our valued personal relationships. If you can't imagine a scenario in which you could fall into this trap, you're not thinking creatively enough," said Patrick Grandy, deputy director of the FBI's Los Angeles office.
The FBI claims to have found more than 900 webcam videos belonging to FaceStealer victims.
Open Questions
- What specific measures are crypto platforms taking to mitigate deepfake attacks?
- How many individual victims were identified beyond the 900 videos found?
