U.S. warns North Korean hacking threatens international finance

The U.S. government warned that North Korea’s digital activities, including cybertheft and extortion, threatens the "integrity and stability of the international finance system.”

Amid heavy sanctions, North Korea "has increasingly relied on illicit activities — including cybercrime — to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” according to an advisory issued Wednesday.

While the U.S. has previously warned against North Korea’s hacking activities, the alert comes as adversaries seek to leverage the pandemic to fuel their malicious cyberactivities. The advisory was issued jointly by the State Department, the Treasury Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.