Co-founder of the Ethereum layer-2 project Manta Network, Kenny Li, recently revealed he allegedly dodged an attempt by North Korea’s Lazarus group to hack his device.
In a detailed X post shared on April 17, Li explained how a known contact arranged a Zoom call. At first, everything seemed normal as many familiar faces were on the same Zoom call. “I could see their legit faces. Everything looked very real, but I couldn’t hear them.” He wrote on X.
However, everything became suspicious when he realized he couldn’t hear the audio, and a prompt appeared on the screen. The prompt nudged him to download a script to fix the audio issue. Suspecting something shady, he requested that they move the conversation to Google Meet. The impersonator refused and deleted all messages shortly after.
Lazarus Tactics Growing More Complex
According to Kenny, the attackers used recordings from previous meetings, making the video appear convincingly genuine. This is in contrast to hackers using AI-generated deepfakes to attempt social engineering, which demonstrates high-level sophistication.
This incident fits a growing pattern of attacks tied to Lazarus group, a North Korea’s state-backed hacking unit responsible for some of the largest crypto hacks in history.
In February, the group hacked the popular centralized exchange platform Bybit, stealing over $1.5 billion in ETH, which is the largest crypto hack ever recorded.
Experts Urges Vigilance
With the increased occurrence of high-profile hacks, experts have warned of being lethargic towards the security of crypto assets.
“These are hacks that play to your emotional connection and potentially mental fatigue,” Li warned. Other crypto figures echoed his experience in the comment section, reporting similar incidents where hackers insisted on using their own version of Zoom and refused to switch to a different platform.
Crypto firms are urged to adopt stronger security protocols, including two-factor authentication. If you have access to sensitive files, it is important to practice device segregation and limit permissions. As the Lazarus Group evolves its methods, it is crucial to note that even the most experienced players are not immune to deception.
