2024-03-15
The Lazarus Group, a hacking group from North Korea, has reportedly resumed using Tornado Cash to launder stolen funds, despite U.S. sanctions against the crypto mixer.
According to analytics firm Elliptic, around $12 million worth of cryptocurrency has been transferred to Tornado's wallets since March 13. These funds were originally stolen in November from the crypto exchange HTX and its cross-chain bridge HTX Eco Chain.
Tornado Cash, a decentralized tool on the Ethereum blockchain, allows for private transactions but was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in August 2022 for alleged involvement in laundering illicit funds, including those linked to the Lazarus Group. With other mixer options like Sindbad seized due to sanctions, authorities are targeting both the platforms and their developers, as evidenced by charges against Tornado Cash's developers and the conviction of Bitcoin Fog's founder.
