Particle.news
Download on the App Store

North Korea-Linked ‘Fake Zoom’ Con Has Drained $300 Million From Crypto Targets

Researchers describe a long con that hijacks Telegram accounts to deliver RAT-laced patches during staged calls.

Overview

  • Security Alliance (SEAL) says it is seeing multiple attempts every day that target cryptocurrency professionals via convincing video meetings.
  • Attackers seize trusted Telegram sessions, then route victims to Zoom or Teams through spoofed calendar links where pre-recorded footage mimics live participants.
  • During the call, the impostor prompts a quick audio fix or SDK update that installs a Remote Access Trojan with full device control.
  • Researchers link roughly $300 million in direct wallet theft to this tactic as part of a broader North Korea-backed campaign estimated near $2 billion, including recent exchange breaches.
  • Advisories urge immediate incident steps: disconnect from networks, power off the device, move funds from a clean device, wipe and rebuild the infected machine, reset Telegram sessions, and rotate credentials with multifactor authentication.