North Korean hackers are spreading malware-laced versions of a popular cryptocurrency trading program, security researchers have revealed, reflecting Pyongyang’s ability to quickly co-opt emerging financial technology to generate illicit revenue.

According to a blog post from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, attackers with the DPRK-linked Lazarus Group created a trojanized version of the popular cryptocurrency application DeFi Wallet in Nov. 2021 that gives attackers full control over a victim’s machine.

Seongsu Park, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky, told NK Pro the malware is a “full-featured backdoor,” meaning attackers can execute practically any command once in