Australia Sanctions North Korean Crypto Hacker Group

In breaking news the Australian Government released a media statement that it is imposing sanctions on four entities and one individual involved in Cryptocurrency cyber crime in order to fund North Korea's unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program. The move was announced by the Labor Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong on November 6 2025 as part of a joint effort with the United States to cut off Pyongyangs illicit funding networks that are supporting the nations nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

North Korea's 1.9Billion Crypto Crime Wave

The sanctions come after reports revealed that North Korean hackers stole an estimated $1.9 billion (1.23 billion USD) in cryptocurrency during 2024 alone a figure that represents a 50% increase from 2023 according to news published by the UN’s Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team. Between January and September 2025, the regime had already surpassed that number by stealing 1.645 billion in digital assets.

These heists are not random acts of cybercrime they are carefully orchestrated state operations. North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, the regime’s primary intelligence agency oversees several notorious hacker groups including Lazarus Group, Kimsuky, Andariel and Chosun Expo. Each plays a unique role in the country’s cyber arsenal, ranging from espionage and ransomware attacks to the laundering of stolen cryptocurrencies through global networks of brokers and crypto mixers.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the scale of North Korea’s digital operations as “deeply concerning,” citing “cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work and espionage” as the primary methods used to generate revenue for its weapons programs.

“We all know the scale of risk and the threat that North Korea poses to the region,” Wong said. “Starving them of funds is obviously a very important part of that.”

Lazarus Group: The Shadow Army of Cyber Soldiers

We've previously reported on the Lazarus group on InLeo and their movements over the years and how the United States has been at the forefront of tackling the espionage so to see Australia step into that fight now is a good sign their illegal activity is being taken seriously.

Among the sanctioned entities Lazarus Group stands as the most infamous. Operating under the direct command of Pyongyang’s intelligence bureau, Lazarus has conducted cyberattacks across industries and continents since 2017. The group gained international notoriety for high profile assaults on cryptocurrency centralised exchanges (CEX), financial institutions, and even entertainment companies.

Some of Lazarus’s most infamous exploits include the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, allegedly carried out in retaliation for the satirical film The Interview and the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist, where hackers attempted to steal 1 billion through the SWIFT network. In recent years, the group has turned its focus almost entirely toward crypto theft by targeting decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, wallet providers and blockchain bridges.

Cybersecurity experts estimate that Lazarus and its affiliates have stolen billions of dollars in digital assets which are often funnelling the proceeds through crypto tumblers and peer to peer exchanges to obfuscate their origin. Much of this stolen crypto is believed to be converted into fiat currency to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons development.

Australia Joins The United States in The Crypto Cybercrime Crackdown

Australia’s new sanctions list four North Korean hacking groups Lazarus, Kimsuky, Andariel and Chosun Expo along with individual hacker Park Jin-hyok, who has already been sanctioned by the United States and South Korea and remains on the FBI’s most wanted list. The sanctions include financial restrictions and travel bans, effectively cutting these entities off from the Australian financial system.

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According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the measures are designed to “disrupt and deter malicious cyber enabled activities” that threaten both Australia’s national security and the global economy. Minister Wong emphasized that these sanctions align with UN Security Council resolutions requiring North Korea to abandon its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs “in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”

“The Australian Government is taking this action with the United States to apply pressure on North Korea’s illegal revenue generation networks,” Wong stated. “We will continue to work with international partners to respond to malicious cyber activity and keep Australians safe.”

image sources provided supplemented by Canva Pro Subscription. This is not financial advice and readers are advised to undertake their own research or seek professional financial services.

Posted Using INLEO