Ethereum Foundation Identifies About 100 'Nation-State Level Hackers' Infiltrators with North Korean Background

BlockBeats News, April 17th - The Ethereum Foundation recently released the ETH Rangers Security Project summary report, disclosing that over a 6-month security funding initiative, researchers identified approximately 100 suspected state-sponsored threat actors, including infiltrators from North Korea (DPRK), who have been active in multiple Web3 projects.

The report revealed that the investigation was advanced through projects like the "Ketman Project," with researchers issuing warnings to around 53 blockchain projects, exposing these individuals who had penetrated development teams under false identities and were involved in fund flows and technical roles. Additionally, some related funds have been frozen, amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The security team has also integrated this intelligence into the threat analysis system for the Lazarus Group and presented it at security conferences like DEF CON, highlighting that nation-state cyberattacks are continuously infiltrating the cryptographic industry's infrastructure.

In terms of overall achievements, the initiative has frozen or recovered over $5.8 million, reported or recorded more than 785 vulnerabilities, and dealt with 36 security incidents, indicating that the security threats facing the Ethereum ecosystem have evolved from mere vulnerability exploits to systemic risks involving nation-state actors.

Furthermore, the report pointed out that North Korean hackers have also infiltrated projects through methods like "remote IT freelancers," involving various attack vectors such as account takeovers, freelance platform penetrations, and fund transfers, making them a key focus for industry defenses.

The Ethereum Foundation emphasized that the security of decentralized networks requires "decentralized defense" and will continue to support security research, threat intelligence, and talent development to address the escalating threats from nation-state cyber actors.