100 North Korean Agents Infiltrate Web3...Ethereum Ecosystem Security Emergency

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More than 100 North Korean agents were discovered to have infiltrated the Web3 ecosystem through a security program operated by the Ethereum Foundation, confirming a nation-state cyber threat targeting the virtual asset industry.

According to the cryptocurrency specialized media CoinTelegraph on April 16 (local time), the Ethereum Foundation's security support program, ETH Rangers, concluded these findings after an intensive investigation spanning approximately six months. The Foundation-backed Ketman project identified North Korean IT personnel who had infiltrated about 53 virtual asset projects during the investigation.

These individuals were employed as developers using fake IDs and stolen career information, and then gained access to internal systems. It was found that they exploited remote work environments, using laptop farms in the United States as bases to disguise their identities and join key development organizations.

The ETH Rangers program achieved results such as recovering or freezing stolen funds totaling over $5.8 million. Security researcher Nick Bax assisted with asset recovery in connection with the Loopscale hacking incident. During the investigation period, a total of over 785 security vulnerabilities were discovered, strengthening the overall defense system of the ecosystem.

Evidence also emerged that North Korean agents attempted to access project source code and insert malicious code, beyond simply securing profits, aiming to build a foundation for further hacking. Ketman developed an open-source tool capable of detecting such movements and collaborated with the security alliance SEAL to establish a standard framework for identifying North Korean IT personnel.

Josh Stark, Executive Director of the Ethereum (ETH) Foundation, stated, "The ETH Rangers program has concluded, but the results are clear." This case is evaluated as an opportunity to expose vulnerabilities in identity verification during the hiring process in the virtual asset industry, while also highlighting the need to strengthen the overall security system of the ecosystem.

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