How North Korean hackers are funding nuclear weapons programme

UN report says Pyongyang may have stolen as much as $2bn through cyberattacks on financial institutions

Hacker
(Image credit: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images)

North Korea has accrued up to $2bn (£1.64bn) to fund its weapons programmes through cyberattacks on banks around the world, according to a UN Security Council report.

The report - compiled by independent experts tasked with overseeing UN-imposed sanctions on North Korea - suggests that Pyongyang has used hackers to “launder stolen proceeds and [create] income to avoid international sanctions” by hacking overseas financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges, says CNN.

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