The Lazarus hacker organization has struck the exchange twice in a year; how was $1.4 billion stolen?

In the latest security report released by the South Korean cybersecurity company AhnLab, the Lazarus North Korean hacker group is listed as the most active attacker of last year.

Their trick is actually not complicated - phishing emails. Disguised as something like lecture invitations or interview notifications, you get caught as soon as you open the attachment. It sounds cliché, but it is effective.

The most brutal incident was on February 21 of this year. A leading exchange was hacked, resulting in a direct loss of 1.4 billion dollars. That's right, 1.4 billion. Additionally, the South Korean exchange Upbit was recently fleeced of 30 million dollars. In both cases, Lazarus is the prime suspect.

The protective advice given in the report is quite practical:

• Enterprises need to implement multi-layered protection; don't expect a single wall to suffice.
• Regularly check for vulnerabilities and apply patches, don't be lazy.
• Employee security training must keep up, after all, people are the biggest vulnerability.

Ordinary users say:

• Multi-factor authentication must be enabled
• Do not click on unknown links and attachments randomly.
• Avoid sharing personal information on social media platforms.
• Only use official channels to purchase items.

AhnLab also pointed out a more troublesome trend — as AI tools become increasingly popular, the cost for hackers to generate phishing content has dropped to zero. In the future, those fake emails, fake web pages, and deepfake videos may be indistinguishable from the real ones.

So the conclusion is simple: don't think you won't fall for it. The fact that Lazarus can steal 1.4 billion dollars shows that even the largest platforms can have problems, let alone individual users.