North Korea missile programme funded through stolen cryptocurrency: details here

A United Nations report notes that North Korean cyber-attacks have stolen millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to fund the country's missile programmes.

A BBC report which quoted the investigators noted that between 2020 and mid-2021 cyber-attackers stole more than $50m of digital assets.

The investigation report that was submitted to the UN's sanctions committee last week noted that such attacks are an "important revenue source" for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programme

The cyber-attacks targeted at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.

The report also referenced a study published last month by the security firm Chainalysis that suggested North Korean cyberattacks could have netted as much as $400m worth of digital assets last year.

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And in 2019, the UN reported that North Korea had accumulated an estimated $2bn for its weapons of mass destruction programmes by using sophisticated cyber-attacks.

North Korea has been banned by the UN Security Council from carrying out nuclear tests and launching ballistic missiles. North Korea carried out nine missile tests last month alone.