Ukrainian National Police detained a hacker who accumulated more than $2 million in cryptocurrency through a sophisticated scheme, according to Europol. This development was reported by TASS.
The press release notes that the 29-year-old offender was arrested in Nikolaev on January 9. He covertly deployed malware to devices used by others who were unknowingly mining cryptocurrency on their systems.
The arrest occurred as part of a lengthy collaboration among Europol, Ukrainian authorities, and a cloud data storage service to disrupt the criminal operation and recover illicit gains.
Earlier information suggested that North Korean-linked hackers would intensify activity globally in 2023, with reported stolen cryptocurrency reaching at least $600 million. A new TRM Labs report provides updated concerns, indicating that the damage could rise to $700 million as investigations into events from late last year unfold. The findings underscore the ongoing risk posed by nation-state–linked cybercrime and the evolving tactics used to covertly extract digital assets.
In related activity, hackers previously transmitted 5 terabytes of data from Russian sources into various networks, highlighting sustained concerns about data exfiltration and supply-chain vulnerabilities affecting multiple regions.