If you remember the infamous Sony Films cyberattack a few years ago, there’s high chance you’re already aware of the North Korean hackers called Lazarus Group. It seems that the notorious group is back in the fray for all the wrong reasons once again. Per a report by the Russian antivirus vendor Kaspersky lab, the group deployed its first ever Mac malware in an attempt to breach the security of an Asian cryptocurrency exchange platform.
A Kaspersky spokesperson told Bleeping Computer that the hack of the digital currency exchange has not been reported in the media yet.
Crypto Exchange Security Compromised
Vitaly Kamluk, Head of GReAT APAC at Kaspersky Lab confirmed the successful hack of the crypto exchange to the publication via email. However, no financial loss has been detected yet.
He added, “We assume the threat was contained based on our notification.”
The hack was materialized after a company employee downloaded an app from a phishing website that described itself as a firm that develops cryptocurrency trading software.
Much to the employee’s misery, the downloaded Windows app was infected with malware. After the download, the app spread its Fallchill trojan among all the users. Fallchill is known to be Lazarus Group’s trademark trojan since 2016.
Notably, the hackers also deployed a Mac malware in the app’s update component, so the virus could not be detected while it was downloaded.
Hack Attacks on the Rise
Although the antivirus vendor Kaspersky Lab confirmed that the exchange’s security was breached, it didn’t let out the name of the affected crypto platform.
Since the beginning of 2017, a number of cyber security firms have pointed out that North Korean hackers have been intrigued by the cryptocurrency exchanges and financial institutions. Their endgame is to hack into these platforms and steal all the funds to transfer them to North Korea.
Hacking into crypto exchanges is not a new phenomenon in the cryptosphere.
In June 2018, it was reported that the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange platform Bithumb was hacked, resulting in a theft of $30 million worth of crypto tokens. Similarly, other platforms such as Yapizon, YouBit and Coinrail have also been the target of hacker groups in the past.
If cryptocurrencies have to transition into mainstream use, key concerns such as security breaches must be addressed promptly and efficiently.
