Tornado Cash was the channel through which the Lazarus group moved more than 7 billion dollars obtained from cyberattacks.
The United States on Monday imposed financial sanctions against the so-called ” cryptocurrency mixer ” Tornado Cash , accused of being used to launder more than $7 billion in virtual currency since 2019, including in relation to North Korea.
“Treasury sanctions Tornado Cash, a virtual currency mixer that launders money from cybercrimes, including those committed against victims in the United States,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
The links of its users with North Korea
According to Washington, Tornado Cash ‘s laundering activities “include more than $455 million stolen by Lazarus , a state-sponsored hacking group from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which had been sanctioned by the United States in 2019. as part of the largest virtual currency theft,” specifies Tesoro.
The statement emphasizes that “Tornado Cash has repeatedly failed to impose effective controls” to prevent “malicious cyber actors” from laundering funds, despite public claims to the contrary.
In May, Washington for the first time imposed financial sanctions against a cryptocurrency mixer , Blender.io, which has also been implicated in virtual money laundering by North Korea . (AFP)