Japanese police identify the DMM Bitcoin theft incident as being carried out by the North Korean hacker organization Lazarus Group

PANews reported on December 24 that, according to CoinDesk Japan, the Japanese National Police Agency announced on December 24 that the theft of 4,502.9 BTC from the cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin that occurred in May was carried out by Trader Traitor, a hacking organization under the North Korean Lazarus Group. The Japanese National Police Agency stated that it will continue to cooperate with the FBI, other U.S. government agencies, and international partners to investigate the illegal activities of North Korean hackers, including cybercrime and cryptocurrency theft incidents.

Meanwhile, the Japanese National Police Agency, the Cabinet Cybersecurity Center, and the Financial Services Agency have released documents regarding the tactics and countermeasures of the attacking groups, urging cryptocurrency-related businesses to exercise caution. In response to this attack incident, DMM Bitcoin has decided to close its exchange. Assets and customer accounts will be transferred to SBIVC Trade, with the transition expected to be completed by March 2025.