Alphapo loses nearly $60M in suspected Lazarus Group heist

North Korean state-sponsored threat operation Lazarus Group has been suspected to be behind the theft of about $60 million from centralized cryptocurrency payment provider Alphapo during an attack on July 23, reports BleepingComputer. Almost $23 million in cryptocurrency, including more than $6 million USDT, were initially estimated to have been stolen from hot wallets but crypto chain analyst ZackXBT noted the exfiltration of $37 million worth of TRON and BTC in the attack, which he said was similar to a Lazarus heist. Alphapo wallets may have been stolen through previously compromised private keys, according to Halpo Chief Operating Officer Dave Schwed. "While we lack specifics, it seems that the alleged 'hack' likely pertains to the theft of private keys. This inference comes from observing the movement of funds from independent hot wallets and the sudden halting of trading. Moreover, the subsequent transactions have led ZachXBT, a renowned 'on-chain sleuth,' to surmise that North Korea's notorious Lazarus group is the perpetrator of this attack," Schwed added.