Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

north korea hackers

East European Hackers Steal Over $200M from Cryptocurrency Exchanges, Targeting US, Japan

CryptoCore, believed to operate out of Eastern Europe, is now the second group which repeatedly targeted cryptocurrency exchanges during the past few years

An unknown cyber group from eastern Europe has stolen $70 million from Israel cryptocurrency exchanges, revealed cyber-security company ClearSky. The report said the crypto cyber gang, dubbed as "CryptoCore," has robbed cryptocurrency exchanges worth $200 million, especially focusing on Japan and the U.S.

As per the report, the ClearSky has been tracking the CryptoCore group campaigns for almost two years, with no conclusive understanding of the operators' origin. However, the company assessed with a medium level of certainty that the group has links to the East European region, Ukraine or Russia.

Or Blatt, Research Team Leader at ClearSky said they linked CryptoCore to five successful hacks and have noticed the group to target another 10 to 20 cryptocurrency exchanges. Some of the operations by the threat actors have been previously documented in several reports identifying the group as "Dangerous Password" and "Leery Turtle [PDF]."

But as per the Israeli security firm, CryptoCore's operations have been more ample and widespread than previously documented. In the report, the security firm clarified that,

"Cryptocurrency exchanges have become targets for constant attacks... Threat actors of all kinds try to infiltrate corporate networks for reconnaissance, ransomware deployment, and plainly to steal money from those exchanges, specifically from their 'hot' (i.e. active, connected) wallets"

The Tactics Are Same


As per the ClearSky despite operating for almost two years, the attacking tactics are almost the same, with a little variation. All attacks start with an information gathering stage during which the cybercriminals collect the required information to target an exchange's management, IT staff, and other employees.

They usually launch the first phishing attacks against personal email accounts, rather than the corporate ones, as they are less secure. ClearSky said that it is just a matter of hours to weeks until the spear-phishing email is sent to a corporate email account of an exchange's executive. The attacks are typically carried out by impersonating a high-ranking staff either from the target organization or from another organization with connections to the targeted employee.



The ultimate goal is to plant malware on an employee's system and gain access to a password manager account. The hackers from CryptoCore will use those passwords to access accounts and wallets, disable two-factor authentication systems, and then start transferring funds out of the exchange's "hot wallets."

While North Korea bases hackers have been the biggest threat to the cryptocurrency exchanges, CryptoCore is now the second group that has repeatedly targeted cryptocurrency exchanges during the past three to four years. However, the United Nation's panel on threat intelligence released a report which said that North Korean hackers stole around $571 million from at least five cryptocurrency exchanges in Asia between January 2017 and September 2018.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×