US seeks to disrupt North Korean cyber operations with $5M bounty

The Register reports that the U.S. State Department has announced an up to $5 million reward to be given to individuals with any information that would facilitate the disruption of North Korean state-sponsored cyberespionage and cryptocurrency theft operations. Information regarding methods to dismantle North Korean cybercriminals engaged in cyberattacks against financial organizations and cryptocurrency exchanges worldwide, as well as money laundering, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and luxury goods exportation to North Korea, will be eligible for the bounty. The cash incentive program has been unveiled after the FBI had attributed the $620 million theft from Axie Infinity's Ronin Network to North Korean state-backed hacking group Lazarus. Meanwhile, US citizen Virgil Griffith has been sentenced to over five years imprisonment and fined $100,000 for his involvement in sharing blockchain and cryptocurrency advice to North Korea. "There is no question North Korea poses a national security threat to our nation. Mr. Griffith admitted in court he took actions to evade sanctions, which are in place to prevent the DPRK from building a nuclear weapon," said US Attorney Damian Williams.