• bunee
• October 20, 2023
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U.S. Gov Seizes North Korean IT Workers’ Websites, Funded Missile Programs

• The U.S. government seizes 17 website domains related to North Korean IT operatives.
• The seizure is part of the clampdown on illicit schemes believed to fund North Korea’s ballistic missile program.
• The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that it also confiscated around $1.5 million of the revenue from these IT workers.

Web Heist: U.S. Shutdown of North Korean IT Domains

October is usually associated with Halloween, but this time it’s not only spooky costumes that are being unmasked, but North Korean IT shenanigans as well. The U.S. government has taken a grim reaper stance against 17 websites that North Korean IT workers were allegedly using as part of an illegal scheme to defraud businesses worldwide, evade sanctions, and fund North Korea’s ballistic missile program.

The Seized Ghosts: Fiat Currency Really Can Fly

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but this ‘bush’ of dodgy websites was making a whole lot more cash! The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that alongside closing down the virtual shopfronts, they managed to capture and confiscate a cool $1.5 million of revenue from these IT workers. It’s like they always say, ‘money doesn’t grow on trees but sometimes it sure does get plucked from the digital skies.’

Feeding the Missile Monster: An Illicit Funding Scheme

Everyone’s got bills to pay, even North Korea. But it seems its preferred method of putting bacon on the table—defrauding businesses across the globe and breaking sanctions—is perhaps, let’s say, a little unconventional. This sinister money-making method was allegedly used to provide fodder for North Korea’s ballistic missile program, which makes you wonder, if websites were potatoes, how many would it take to launch a missile?

Summarizing the Web Wipeout

In the grand scheme of high-stake, digital hide-and-seek games, this recent move by the U.S. government is quite significant. Not only have they identified and neutralized a clutch of websites linked to the ‘nefarious’ North Korean IT workers, the DoJ has managed to seize approximately $1.5 million of ill-gotten gains. Allegedly, these funds were earmarked for North Korea’s ballistic missile operation. In other words, the U.S. just served a knockout punch to North Korea’s digital piggy bank. It’s not your typical Halloween story, but don’t worry, I’m sure there’ll be a ‘seizure’ of candy in your neighborhood soon enough!

Original Article: https://thehackernews.com/2023/10/us-doj-cracks-down-on-north-korean-it_20.html