US authorities announced Thursday that hackers linked to North Korea were behind last month’s theft of $620 million worth of cryptocurrency by targeting users of the popular video game Axis Infinity.
The operation is considered one of the biggest hacks in the cryptocurrency world, which has raised serious security doubts in an industry that has been fueled by celebrity promotions and promises of quick fortunes.
Last month, the makers of the Axi Infinity game, whose users can earn cryptocurrency by playing, were robbed last month, just weeks after about $320 million was hacked in a similar attack.
“Through our investigations, we were able to confirm that the Lazarus Group and IPT38, which are linked to North Korea, were responsible for the theft,” the FBI said in a statement.
In the case of the theft of the Axi Infinity game, the attackers exploited vulnerabilities in a dedicated game software developed by Vietnam-based Sky Myvis.
The vulnerabilities program was devised in order to allow Axi Infinity players to quickly buy and sell cryptocurrency by creating an in-game currency linked to the main Ethereum blockchain.
The result was faster, cheaper, but ultimately less safe.
The hackers managed to seize 173,600 Ether and $25.5 million worth of Stable Coin, pegged to the US dollar.
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