U.S. Treasury sanctions North Korea-linked individuals and a Russian-based company for cyber fraud targeting American firms to fund Pyongyang's weapons programs.
U.S. sanctions North Korean and Russian actors
The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against 12 individuals and a company linked to North Korea for allegedly creating a network to defraud American businesses and fund North Korea’s weapons programs. The targets, of North Korean and Russian nationality, operated an IT support service that stole data from U.S. companies, then demanded payments to return it.North Korea uses cyber extortion for funding
The Treasury estimates the operation generated several million dollars, with a significant portion funneled to North Korea to support its missile and weapons of mass destruction programs. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the activities a threat to American companies, stating that North Korea’s regime uses cyber agents abroad to exploit sensitive data and extort payments.EU and Australia join U.S. sanctions
The European Union and Australia have joined the U.S. in sanctioning the North Korean company and eight North Korean citizens, all based in Russia, as well as two Russian citizens. These sanctions freeze assets held in the U.S. and block the use of the dollar in their transactions, while also prohibiting American businesses or foreign entities with U.S. operations from engaging with the targets.Recent actions against another North Korean network
These sanctions follow a two-week series of actions by the U.S. Department of Justice against another network involving two Americans and at least a dozen people based in China. This network provided remote IT support services, generating $3 million for entities under international sanctions controlled by North Korea.
