espionage

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions regulator on Tuesday added North Korean citizen Song Kum Hyok to the "Specially Designated Nationals" list, accusing him of being a "malicious cyber actor" associated with North Korean hacking groups and engaging in cyber espionage.The action by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) excludes Song Kum Hyok from the global financial system, as he arranged for other North Korean officials to work as IT personnel in multiple companies, who would then funnel funds back to North Korea and also managed to exploit company vulnerabilities for personal gain.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Israeli security agencies have arrested a 27-year-old resident of Tel Aviv, accusing him of photographing military-sensitive locations for Iran and receiving cryptocurrency as payment.According to a joint statement from the Israeli Security Agency and the Tel Aviv police, the suspect, Or Beilin, completed multiple tasks, including photographing sensitive sites and spray-painting political graffiti. The investigation revealed that Iranian agents contacted targets through social media platforms.Two other Israeli citizens were also arrested for similar espionage activities, including 28-year-old Dmitri Cohen from Haifa. Cohen is accused of gathering intelligence on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son’s fiancée. It was reported that the suspects received cryptocurrency worth $500 for each completed task, accumulating thousands of dollars.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, a survey conducted by Reuters in collaboration with blockchain analysis firms Global Ledger and Recoveris shows that Russian intelligence agencies have been using Bitcoin to pay untrained teenage spies. A Reuters report details the recent case of Canadian citizen Laken Pavan, who was sentenced to 20 months in prison after admitting to assisting Russian intelligence in Poland last December. Recoveris stated that the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) and the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) have repeatedly funded young people in Poland to carry out tasks such as surveillance, graffiti, and arson using cryptocurrency, with some funds used to hire mercenaries in the Donbas region and to bribe European politicians."The advantage of using Bitcoin or cryptocurrency to pay agents or assets is that any amount of cryptocurrency (even millions of dollars) can be transferred instantly worldwide, without any government barriers, except for the gateway from cryptocurrency to fiat currency," In addition, Russian intelligence agencies can fully leverage the transparency brought by cryptocurrency. "Handlers and senior intelligence officials can monitor the flow of cryptocurrency." "Any expenditure by agents can be audited to ensure it is used for operational purposes." Given the ongoing sanctions, such cryptocurrency payments are expected to continue, and the transparency allows the Russian side to monitor the use of funds.

ChainCatcher message, the latest intelligence from the SlowMist security team indicates that the North Korean Lazarus hacker group is using a new type of espionage Trojan called OtterCookie to launch targeted attacks against cryptocurrency and financial professionals.The total methods include faking high-paying job interviews/investor meetings, using deepfake videos to impersonate recruiters, and disguising malware as "programming test questions" or "system update packages."The targets for theft include login credentials saved in browsers, passwords and digital certificates in the macOS Keychain, as well as cryptocurrency wallet information and private keys.SlowMist recommends being vigilant about unsolicited job/investment offers, requiring multi-factor authentication for remote interviews, avoiding running executable files from unknown sources, especially so-called "technical test questions" or "update patches," strengthening endpoint protection (EDR), deploying antivirus software, and regularly checking for abnormal processes.

According to ChainCatcher news, as reported by the Guangming Daily, the Ministry of State Security announced a case on November 8: Wang XX, a former public official at a sensitive unit, was considered a good young man by his unit and family. However, due to losses in virtual currency investments, he incurred huge debts and was lured and incited by foreign espionage intelligence agencies, gradually leading him down the path of crime.Through investigations by the national security agency, it was discovered that Wang XX provided top-secret and confidential national secrets to the other party, obtaining espionage funds equivalent to over 1 million yuan through methods such as virtual currency recharge and trading. Ultimately, Wang XX was sentenced to life imprisonment for espionage by the people's court, with lifelong deprivation of political rights.The unit where Wang XX worked did not strictly implement confidentiality management systems and protective measures, providing an opportunity for Wang XX to steal and supply secrets to foreign espionage intelligence agencies. The national security agency, in conjunction with relevant departments, will carry out joint law enforcement work on Wang XX's unit and order it to rectify within a specified time.

ChainCatcher news, according to local media reports, a special committee investigating the Worldcoin incident in Kenya recently stated in a report submitted to lawmakers that Worldcoin's actions "constitute espionage and pose a threat to national status," and hopes that the Criminal Investigation Department will investigate two related foreign companies, Tools for Humanity (TFH) Corp and Tools for Humanity (TFH) GmbH, for allegedly operating illegally in Kenya.These companies are believed to have violated several Kenyan laws, including the Data Protection Act, the Consumer Protection Act, and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act. The investigation found that neither company appeared in Kenya's business registration service database, indicating a lack of legal authorization to operate in Kenya.Previous report, in September, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Interior claimed that U.S. authorities prevented the country from detaining several American citizens who held executive positions in the cryptocurrency project Worldcoin. Alex Blania, co-founder and CEO of Worldcoin, and his chief legal advisor Thomas Scott were among those arrested by Kenyan authorities at Nairobi airport.