Skip to main content

US Treasury’s OFAC Adds 3 ETH Addresses Linked to North Korean Cybercrime Group to SDN List

US Treasury's OFAC Adds 3 ETH Addresses Linked to North Korean Cybercrime Group to SDN List

The Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has added three ethereum addresses to its Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List (SDN). OFAC alleges the ether addresses are controlled by the Lazarus Group, a cybercrime group that is associated with North Korea.

Lazarus Group Behind Axie Infinity Heist

The U.S. Treasury Department’s OFAC has added three ethereum addresses that are allegedly associated linked with the Lazarus Group cybercrime syndicate to its SDN list. The addition of the addresses comes a few weeks after U.S. authorities accused the Lazarus Group and North Korean hackers of being behind the $620 million Axie Infinity heist.

As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, after reports of the hacking emerged, the U.S. government claimed the cybercrime group was part of a group of hackers that spearheaded the Ronin bridge attack that resulted in the siphoning of over 173,000 ethereum tokens. Also, prior to the department’s latest update, the ethereum mixing project Tornado Cash revealed it was blocking OFAC sanctioned addresses from using the mixer.

North Korea Sanctions Evasion

In a statement released via Twitter on April 22, the U.S. Treasury Department suggested the blocking of access to funds at the designated addresses would deprive the sanctions-evading North Korea of a vital source of revenue. The statement explained:

OFAC added 3 virtual currency wallet addresses to the SDN Listing for Lazarus Group. The DPRK [North Korea] has relied on illicit activities like cybercrime to generate revenue while trying to evade U.S. & UN sanctions.

While authorities in the U.S. insist the blockade will stop North Korea from using the stolen crypto, an earlier report by Bitcoin.com News suggested the cybercriminals would still be able to move the funds by simply transferring the funds to an unsanctioned ether address.

Meanwhile, in addition to directly blocking the three ethereum addresses, the U.S. Treasury Department statement warned against transacting with these addresses. The statement suggested that those doing so would become a target of U.S. sanctions.

What are your thoughts on this story? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.



from Bitcoin News https://ift.tt/Kjf7Pqe
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Deep Web Roundup: Dream Adds Monero and Bitcoin Tumbler “Chip Mixer” Launches

The darknet has been quiet of late, which is the way it’s meant to be. No news means no mega busts, honeypots, or mass market shutdowns. Even when it’s out of the spotlight though, the deep web is quietly making news, whether trialling the latest privacy coins or the newest coin mixers that promise to restore a little of the privacy that’s being stripped away from bitcoin users on a daily basis. Also read: U.S. Agency ICE Conducts Investigations That Exploit Blockchain Activity The Battle for Privacy Heats Up Privacy is all relative, but of late there’s been relatively little privacy to be enjoyed by bitcoin users. Blockchain monitoring software is becoming more sophisticated and more common, with U.S. law enforcement agencies using it to profile and hunt down deep web users. Chip Mixer is a relatively new bitcoin tumbler that’s designed to restore some of that privacy. Available on both the clearnet and darknet, the service uses a variety of techniques to obfuscate blockchain m
10 comments
Read more

International Crypto Exchange Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading

Luno exchange has added bitcoin cash trading to the platform following feedback from its client base. BCH is now only the third cryptocurrency available for trading on the exchange, in addition to BTC and ETH , but more options could be on the way once Luno determines that they are credible enough. Also Read: Bitflyer Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Across Europe and the US Luno Adds Bitcoin Cash Trading Luno, the London-headquartered company formerly known as Bitx, recently announced that bitcoin cash was made available on its cryptocurrency exchange. Starting from Monday, September 23, customers at Luno are now able to store, buy and sell BCH on the platform. The reason given for adding BCH to the exchange is feedback from users in developing markets that convinced Luno to expand their offering from previously just BTC and ETH . Marcus Swanepoel, CEO of Luno, said , “We are in a new and exciting financial era. Developing economies are leading the large-scale adoption and appli
Post a Comment
Read more

Ombudsman Receives Complaints About Crypto Investments in Spain

The Spanish ombudsman has been receiving complaints about cryptocurrency and how some Spanish citizens investing in these vehicles have lost everything. In his annual report, Angel Gabilondo recognized the rise of cryptocurrencies as a new problem due to the little or no regulation crypto sees in the country. In the same way, the EU has also warned about these assets recently. Spanish Ombudsman Gives His Take on Crypto Angel Gabilondo, the Spanish ombudsman, has given his take regarding cryptocurrencies and the effects they have on citizens investing in some of these projects. Gabilondo said in his yearly report that cryptocurrencies have become “a new problem” during the year examined, with many people having lost all of their funds invested. The report states : Cryptocurrency exchange companies or platforms are not regulated in the legal system, are not subject to any public supervision system, nor do they benefit from deposit guarantee systems. The affected users that sought
Post a Comment
Read more