Prime Minister Ishiba discusses measures against North Korean cryptocurrency hacking at the G7 summit, according to reports.

## Call for cooperation against North Korea’s cyber attacks

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to emphasize the need for countries to cooperate in addressing cyber attacks by North Korea, such as hacking of cryptocurrencies, at the G7 (Group of Seven) summit to be held in Canada this month. This was reported by Kyodo News based on information from related sources on the 11th.

North Korea is strengthening its relations with Russia in the diplomatic and military fields, and against this backdrop, it is reported that the Japanese government wants to deepen its cooperation with European countries that support Ukraine.

In May, it was reported that the leaders of various countries might discuss North Korea’s cyberattacks at a summit in Canada. The stolen cryptocurrencies have become a significant source of funding for the regime, which is considered a matter of concern.

In February, it was recently reported that the cryptocurrency exchange Bybit suffered damages amounting to approximately 204 billion yen due to hacking carried out by the North Korean hacker group “Lazarus.”

Additionally, there have been reports of North Korean disguised IT workers infiltrating companies in various countries, stealing confidential information and blackmailing their employers.

What is G7?

Abbreviation for Group of 7. Refers to the seven major countries: Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy. In addition to these seven countries, the EU (European Union) is also a member of the G7.

In Japan, in May 2024, 48 billion yen worth of Bitcoin (BTC) was leaked from the cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin due to a hacking incident by Lazarus.

In response, in January of this year, the governments of Japan, the United States, and South Korea issued a joint statement. They expressed their commitment to raising awareness in the blockchain industry, working together to prevent theft by North Korea, and to recover stolen assets.

According to on-chain analysis firm Arkham Intelligence, Lazarus held 13,518 BTC (approximately $1.13 billion) as of March. This amount surpasses that of Bhutan, which conducts Bitcoin mining as a nation, and El Salvador, which has adopted Bitcoin as legal tender.

According to DW, Aditya Das, an analyst at the cryptocurrency research firm Brave New Coin, has stated the following.

North Korea employs a wide range of cyber attack techniques, particularly known for its social engineering skills.

Much of their activity involves infiltrating the hardware of employees at targeted companies, breaching internal systems, or setting traps from within.

For example, it is stated that there is a method to lure victims into downloading malware disguised as job application documents, meeting tools, and diagnostic software.

What is a social engineering attack?

An attack method that exploits human psychological gaps and behavioral habits to steal confidential information or induce fraudulent behavior. Examples include phishing and impersonation.