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Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs has announced sanctions targeting cyber criminals helping fund North Korean weapons programs.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has announced the imposition of travel bans and financial sanctions targeting one individual and four entities over their role in securing funds towards North Korea’s ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
“The scale of North Korea’s involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities, including cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work and espionage, is deeply concerning,” Minister Wong said in a 6 November statement.
“UN-sanctioned North Korean entities have deep links with malicious cyber activities, as outlined in the second report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).”
The report found that North Korean state-backed hackers stole at least $1.9 billion in cryptocurrency in 2024, using a network of North Korean nationals and other facilitators from around the world to launder the stolen assets.
This cryptocurrency was then used to acquire raw materials and military equipment.
“The Australian government is taking this action with the United States to apply pressure on North Korea’s illegal revenue generation networks and address its persistent challenges to security and stability,” Minister Wong said.
“Australia will continue to work with international partners to respond to malicious cyber activity, promote the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyber space and keep Australians safe.”
Minister Wong said Australia called on North Korea to comply with United Nations resolutions and to “to abandon its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner”.
“We encourage all Australians to be vigilant about their cyber security, and be aware that payments to entities and individuals listed under Australia’s autonomous sanctions framework could result in action by law enforcement agencies,” Minister Wong said.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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