Treasury Department Implements Sanctions on North Korean Cyber Groups

Treasury Department Implements Sanctions on North Korean Cyber Groups

The department announced the sanctions Friday after it said that North Korean intelligence groups targeted American critical infrastructure, particularly the financial system.

On Friday, the Treasury Department announced it will implement sanctions targeting three North Korean cyber intelligence groups for targeting U.S. critical infrastructure.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is housed within the department, said that the Lazarus Group and two of its subsidiaries, Bluenoroff and Andariel, are responsible for “
“North Korea’s malicious cyber activity” on American agencies. The groups fall underneath the RGB, North Korea’s primary intelligence bureau, the OFAC said in a statement.

“Treasury is taking action against North Korean hacking groups that have been perpetrating cyber attacks to support illicit weapon and missile programs,” Sigal Mandelker, the under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement. “We will continue to enforce existing U.S. and UN sanctions against North Korea and work with the international community to improve cybersecurity of financial networks.”

In an explanation of the sanctions, the department said that the Lazarus Group was created as early as 2008 to target institutions like the military and the financial, manufacturing, publishing, media and international shipping industries. The U.S. and other countries that were targeted as part of the WannaCry 2.0 ransomware attack in 2017 have long believed that the hacking group carried out the attack.

Now, American citizens and residents are banned from doing business with the cyber groups. Lazarus and its subsidiaries are also blocked from accessing any property within the U.S., according to The Hill.

Altogether, OFAC estimates that the three groups likely stole $571 million in cryptocurrency between January 2017 and September 2018 as part of a government campaign to hack into cryptocurrency exchanges and use the funds for weapons programs. Blueneroff has allegedly attempted to steal about $1.1 billion from banks around the world, including countries like Mexico, India, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The agency said that the sanctions are part of its larger plan to combat North Korean cyber threats. OFAC has been working with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command to better “protect the U.S. financial system and other critical infrastructure” and improve global security, the agency said.

OFAC’s action and another effort to disclose malware samples to private cybersecurity companies are examples of a “government-wide approach to defending and protecting against an increasing North Korean cyber threat,” the statement reads.

Rep. Jim Langevin, who chairs the House Armed Services subcommittee on intelligence and emerging threats and capabilities, applauded the sanctions and said the U.S. must “take action to hold irresponsible states accountable.”

“Malicious cyber actors around the world need to know that they cannot act with impunity and that the United States will use all instruments of national power to counter their activity,” he said in a statement.

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services
  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

New Products

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.