North Korea’s hacker group Lazarus is utilizing Twister Money once more regardless of U.S. sanctions in opposition to the favored cryptocurrency mixer.
Blockchain analytics startup Elliptic reported on March 14 that Lazarus funneled $12 million into the Ethereum-based crypto tumbler. The funds, denominated in Ether (ETH), originated from a November hack on Justin Solar’s HTX and the change’s cross-chain resolution, Heco Bridge.
In line with Elliptic and a number of other different on-chain safety companies, Lazarus orchestrated a $100 million assault on the 2 platforms final yr. The funds remained dormant till March 13, when North Korea’s notorious hacker group started laundering stolen HTX property.
In line with Elliptic, Lazarus has revamped 40 transactions into the smart-contract-based mixer within the final 24 hours.
For years, the prison group regularly used Twister Money to obscure transactions and launder illicit wealth till U.S. authorities sanctioned the service in August 2022. Nevertheless, resulting from its decentralized design, Twister Money continued to function because the authorities couldn’t impact a complete shutdown.
U.S. companies focused different Lazarus Group choices like Bitcoin-based mixers Blender and Sinbad in response. These platforms differ from Twister Money, as builders utilized a centralized mannequin for the design. This meant that regulation enforcement was capable of shutter the providers fully.
As crypto.information reported, citing Chainalysis knowledge, the crackdown resulted in a 29% discount in crypto cash laundering all through 2023, as Lazarus and different dangerous actors struggled to off-ramp looted funds.
Nevertheless, the North Korean syndicate’s return to Twister Money alerts a shortage of large-scale mixers, primarily resulting from U.S. enforcement motion and regulatory takedowns.