North Korean hackers gained access to systems connected to 1,640 companies across 57 countries, with cryptocurrency wallets and blockchain infrastructure among their primary targets, according to research presented at the Black Hat security conference and reported by Wired.
Cybersecurity researcher Vangelis Stykas said between 700 and 800 of the affected organizations suffered damaging intrusions that gave attackers extensive access to corporate servers, cloud infrastructure, developer credentials, and digital assets.
Stykas, chief technology officer at cybersecurity firm Kumio, spent 22 months accessing command and control systems used by the hackers. He reviewed approximately five terabytes of data after gaining visibility into infrastructure and communications platforms used by the group.
The researcher identified potential victims by examining developer credentials, source code, and other information stored inside the compromised systems. He said he contacted affected organizations and publicly identified around a dozen companies during his Black Hat presentation.
The organizations named by Stykas included crypto companies Coinbase and Uniswap Labs, Boston Children’s Hospital, Japanese technology company AEON Smart Technology, smartphone manufacturer Oppo, Italy’s Supreme Judicial Council, and a technology agency linked to the Flemish government.
