US sanctions 10 individuals, entity over North Korean crypto fraud and $285M Drift hack

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and one entity for their roles in schemes designed to defraud American companies through North Korean IT workers. Officials stated that these operations have generated significant income for the country’s weapons programs by leveraging advanced cryptocurrency transactions, money laundering techniques, and artificial intelligence tools. North Korea, according to Treasury, places its IT workers in legitimate foreign companies with fake documents and stolen identities. The regime then claims the majority of their wages, which have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to its illicit weapons initiatives.