Japanese Police: North Korea-Linked Hacking Group Cyber Attacks Cryptocurrency Companies and Exchanges

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The Japanese National Police Agency announced that the North Korea-linked hacking group 'Lazarus' carried out cyberattacks targeting Japanese cryptocurrency companies and exchanges.

According to major foreign media on the 15th, the Japanese National Police Agency stated in a press release issued yesterday together with the Financial Services Agency and the Cabinet Cybersecurity Center, citing a report by an expert panel released on the 7th (local time) by the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee.

The Japanese National Police Agency explained that Lazarus disguised themselves as corporate executives to send phishing emails to employees or approached targeted companies' staff on social networking services (SNS) through fake accounts, causing them to download malicious software. However, they did not mention specific incidents suspected to be linked to Lazarus.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the same day that "this announcement is unusual" and "it seems the Japanese government is trying to curb cyberattacks." Lazarus is a hacking group believed to be connected to North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau and has been implicated in incidents such as the Sony Pictures hack and the Bangladesh cash heist.