North Korean hackers use AI deepfake Zoom to scam, cryptocurrency companies face dual attack of targeted "social engineering + Trojan"
February 11 News, Google’s security team Mandiant disclosed that a North Korea-linked hacker group is using deepfake videos and fake Zoom calls to carry out highly targeted social engineering attacks against the cryptocurrency industry, and is deploying multiple malicious programs to steal assets and data.
The investigation shows that this operation was launched by the cyber threat group UNC1069. The group has been active since at least 2018 and shifted its focus from traditional finance to the Web3 space after 2023, targeting executives of crypto financial technology companies, software developers, and venture capital professionals. The incident began when an industry executive’s Telegram account was hijacked. The attacker impersonated the individual to contact targets, build trust, and then send fake Calendly video meeting invitations.
After victims clicked the link, they were directed to a fake Zoom domain controlled by the attacker. During the call, the attacker played a deepfake video of what appeared to be the CEO of another crypto company, and claimed there was an “audio malfunction,” tricking the target into running a supposed troubleshooting command on their computer. These commands triggered an infection chain on macOS and Windows systems, silently deploying up to seven malicious software programs.
Mandiant confirmed that these tools can steal Keychain credentials, browser cookies, login information, Telegram sessions, and local sensitive files. Researchers believe that the attackers aim both to directly acquire crypto assets and to gather intelligence for future scams. Deploying so many tools on a single device indicates a carefully planned targeted infiltration.
This incident is not isolated. By 2025, similar AI conference scams had caused losses exceeding $300 million; throughout the year, cyber operations related to North Korea stole approximately $2.02 billion in digital assets, a 51% increase. Chainalysis also pointed out that scam groups utilizing on-chain AI services are significantly more efficient than traditional methods.
As the barrier to deepfake technology continues to lower, the crypto industry faces unprecedented security challenges. Experts warn that online meetings involving funds and system permissions must strengthen multi-factor authentication and device isolation; otherwise, they could become the next attack vector.
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