WorldPosted at: Nov 13 2026 6:13PM


North Korean hackers stole more than $400mn in cryptocurrency via fake video calls reveal US authorities

Pyongyang/Washington, Nov 13 (UNI) North Korean state-sponsored hackers have stolen more than $400m in cryptocurrency by using fake video calls to deceive victims and install malicious software on their devices, according to US authorities.
More than 900 people have fallen victim to the scheme, dubbed FaceStealer by the FBI, over the past 18 months.
“The North Korean regime relies on proceeds from large-scale cryptocurrency theft to fund its illicit weapons programme, stealing billions of dollars in recent years,” FBI cyber director Brett Leatherman said.
The warning comes a week after the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, disclosed that hackers had used fake job interviews to steal a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn). US law enforcement agencies attributed the attack, described as the largest cryptocurrency theft to date, to North Korean-linked actors. Pyongyang has denied the allegations.
FaceStealer primarily targets people working in the cryptocurrency and Web3 sectors, particularly those involved in developing and maintaining open-source software, according to the FBI and the US Justice Department.
The hackers use fake or hijacked social media accounts to invite potential victims to video calls hosted through counterfeit versions of platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.
During the calls, attackers play pre-recorded footage of people known to their targets to make the interaction appear genuine. The audio then appears to malfunction, prompting a message asking participants to click on a link to fix the problem.
Clicking the link downloads malware onto the victim's device, allowing hackers to access contact lists and applications and identify further potential targets.
The attackers also secretly record the calls and use the footage to impersonate victims when approaching new targets, according to US authorities.
The FBI has described FaceStealer as “a highly effective social engineering scheme capable of deceiving even the most experienced technical and security conscious computer user”.
“It exploits our trust in ubiquitous video conference platforms and valued personal relationships,” Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in a statement on Thursday.
“If you can't imagine a scenario where you might fall prey to it, you are not thinking creatively enough.”
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