As noted in a report published by Microsoft in August, a North Korean hacking group took. Advantage of a previously unknown weakness in Chrome web browsers to wage cyber warfare on cryptocurrency institutions. This information came to light thanks to the large corporation’s computer security experts. Who, on August 19, traced the attacks to a group named Citrine Sleet, known. It attacks the crypto sector.
Capitalizing On A Chromium Fatal Security Flaw
The hackers utilized a defect in Chromium’s resource management component (and hence Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge) software development kit. This is a zero-day vulnerability; the patch was never applied. Because the vendor, the browser maker, was unaware of the flaw until it was exploited. On August 21, Google placed security patches for the vulnerability identified two days after MicrosoMicrosoft discovered ft discovered the invasion. The Victims’ Status is Shrouded in Mystery
According to Microsoft, organizations targeted or breached by Citrine Sleet have been informed. The firm, however, did not provide further information about the possible number of people affected by the attack or their identities.
Citrine Sleet’s Techniques and Motives NorthÂ
Citrine Sleet’s activities, based in North Korea, are largely focused on the same entities operating in cryptocurrency to make money. The group’s activities involve deep intelligence gathering of the cryptocurrency ecosystem and stakeholders as part of their social engineering efforts. In this respect, as Microsoft’s report indicates, Citrine Sleet creates spoof websites imitating legit crypto exchange sites and uses them to further the distribution of malware disguised as employment or crypto wallet applications.
The Persistent Danger Due to North Korea’s Cyber Operations
The hackers working for the North Korean government have always gone after the cryptocurrency industry, as they consider it rich pickings. According to the findings of a group from the UN Security Council, the regime managed to hack around 3 billion dollars worth of cryptocurrency between 2017 and 2023. As their money has been restrained due to international bans, the Kim Jong Un government has resorted more to cybercrime to sustain its nuclear arms program.
