The Lazarus group, a North Korean state-sponsored hacker group, has returned after a period of inactivity. After several months without action, the Lazarus group suddenly transferred 27,371 BTC (about 1.2 million) through crypto mixing services into an old wallet.
It split the transfer into two transactions before siphoning 3.343 BTC (about 150,000) into another inactive wallet the group previously used. While it’s possible this money is being transferred for the sake of profit, oftentimes state-sponsored criminal groups like Lazarus will reinvest their funds into better equipment, more personnel, and even fueling other criminal groups.
“The Lazarus Group just made its biggest transactions in over a month” Posted researchers with Arkham Intelligence on X. The same post links to the hacker’s combined wallet of nearly 80 million USD worth of Bitcoin.
The Lazarus group made headlines in the past after launching a sophisticated twin attack on the US Defense Industry that pointed to the group building “supply chain attack capabilities.”
Many of the group’s attacks have focused on blockchain-based thefts like the Ronin-bridge hack in March and multiple campaigns waged back in 2017. Many of these attacks saw the group using sanctioned crypto mixers. These tools mix large quantities of Bitcoin together to mask its source. Hackers regularly use them to launder illegally obtained Bitcoin.
The Lazarus Group’s most recent well-known attack was on the Orbit cross-platform blockchain — while the group hasn’t taken direct credit yet, has all signs pointing to its involvement. The hackers made off with over $86 million of stolen crypto. Its overall activity is far higher though, as the group has stolen over $900 million in just one year of activity.
Remember that connecting your crypto wallet to an exchange is always a risk, as hacker groups around the world are constantly looking for ways to steal every bit of the Bitcoin you have stored there.