North Korean cybercriminals have emerged as a leading threat to Brazilian companies and officials, according to a U.S. security firm, accounting for almost a third of state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting the South American country.

Reflecting Pyongyang’s overall strategic objectives, these threat groups have shown a persistent interest in the cryptocurrency, financial technology and aerospace sectors, Google-owned Mandiant said in a report released on Thursday.

The report said the DPRK accounted for approximately 31.7% of government-backed phishing attacks targeting Brazil since the start of 2020, second only to China’s 42%. 

As a developing country that