North Korea's Revenge For The Interview Is Still There, Three Hackers Sent To US Steal Billions Of Crypto Money

One of the scenes in the movie The Interview (Source: IMDB)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) Department of Justice has charged three North Korean hackers. They are said to have conspired with the North Korean government to steal more than USD 1.3 billion worth of cryptocurrency. One of their goals is to give a response to the film The Interview.

The three are said to be part of a North Korean military intelligence group known as the Reconnaissance General Bureau. The three hackers reportedly fled with serious evidence indicating they were part of a larger operation to funnel money secretly to the North Korean government.

North Korea is struggling financially due to sanctions. "Cryptocurrencies are completely changing the way sanctions are applied and how effective they are," said Stephanie T. Kleine-Ahlbrandt, a researcher at a think tank called the Henry L. Stimson Center.

According to the US government, the trio managed to steal at least USD 112 million, of which 11.8 million they got from an unnamed New York-based financial firm. The hackers also targeted the entertainment industry in retaliation for the film The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

North Korea's Outrage at The Interview

North Korea was furious when The Interview was about to be launched. In 2014, a spokesman for the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement that the distribution of films about the attempted assassination of Kim Jong Un was an act of war.

North Korea did not specify the title of the film. However, a few months after that day, October to be precise, The Interview was released. The Interview has exactly the same storyline as the North Korean side. North Korea even then promised "merciless retaliation."

The spokesman, quoted by KCNA, said: "Making and releasing a film with a storyline intended to abuse our supreme leader is an act of terrorism and war which is open and clearly not tolerated."

Duo "cannabis fans" comedians, Seth and James serve as host and producer of a talk show. The two of them were invited to North Korea to interview Kim Jong Un. But both were asked by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to kill Kim Jong Un.

Fraud the Authorities

Regarding this theft case, the US Department of Justice also explained that hackers were involved in campaigning for spear-phishing and fraud of their own cryptocurrencies. "North Korean operators, using keyboards instead of guns, stealing cryptocurrency digital wallets instead of bags of cash, are the world's leading bank robbers," said John C. Demers, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's National Security Division in a press release.

This case reflects the change in the crime landscape that was originally real now into cyberspace. "This case is a striking example of a growing alliance between officials in several national governments and highly sophisticated cybercriminals," Assistant Director of the US Secret Service Michael R. D'Ambrosio said in the release.

"The men charged today have committed an unprecedented series of financial and cyber crimes: from ransomware attacks and phishing campaigns to digital bank theft and sophisticated money-laundering operations."

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