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Unchained

Why North Korea Is Interested in Cryptocurrency - Ep.150

Unchained

Laura Shin

News, Business News, Tech News

4.61.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 December 2019

⏱️ 64 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Priscilla Moriuchi, director of strategic threat development at Recorded Future and non-resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, explains North Korean usage of the internet and how it has changed over time, how it is reserved only for the few most senior people in the regime, and what the mobile devices of the other 25 million citizens connects to, and who is watching the activity on those devices. She also describes the various ways North Korea has shown an interest in cryptocurrency, how it's been determined that North Korea is engaging in those activities, such as cryptocurrency exchange hacks and malware, and its seeming interest in Monero. We also discuss how they convert crypto to fiat, and how well the government seems to have connected its cryptocurrency activities with its other real-world criminal networks used for other activities such as smuggling, drugs and counterfeiting cigarettes and US dollars. We also talk about which North Koreans have been trained to carry out such attacks and how and why they carry them out abroad rather than in North Korea. She also covers why Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith's visit to North Korea, even if he were dispensing "public" information, would have been helpful in a country where everyone but a tiny elite is denied access to the internet. Thank you to our sponsors!  Givewell: http://givewell.org/unchained CipherTrace: http://ciphertrace.com/unchained Kraken: https://www.kraken.com Crypto.com: http://crypto.com Episode links:  Priscilla Moriuchi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priscilla-moriuchi-410297127/  Recorded Future: https://www.recordedfuture.com Recorded Future on North Korea’s internet activity: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-internet-activity/ Full report: https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/north-korea-activity.pdf Recorded Future report on North Korea’s interest in cryptocurrency: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-cryptocurrency/ Full report: North Korea targeting South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges: https://www.recordedfuture.com/north-korea-cryptocurrency-campaign/ Full report: https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/cta-2018-0116.pdf  Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/recorded-future-inside-threat-intelligence/e/52982550 Priscilla on why Virgil’s attendance at a blockchain conference in North Korea was helpful to the regime: https://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-virgil-griffith-cryptocurrencies-bad-idea-analyst-2019-12 Priscilla on how North Korea uses cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions: https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/28/17055762/north-korea-sanctions-bitcoin-nuclear-weapons North Korea’s interest in Monero: https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-north-korea-hackers-mine-cryptocurrency-abroad-1515420004 North Korea’s plan to build its own version of the Petro, I mean, Bitcoin: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9ke3ae/north-korea-is-building-its-own-bitcoin  DOJ Complaint against Virgil: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/1222646/download Virgil’s Facebook post inviting others to North Korea: https://www.facebook.com/virgil.gr/posts/10112756681859159 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hi everyone. Welcome to Unchained, your no-hife resource for all things

0:07.4

crypto. I'm your host Laura Shin. One quick announcement before we start the

0:11.8

show, Unchained now has a merchandise shop.

0:14.0

We've got a few t-shirts, a couple hats, a mug,

0:17.0

several mugs, and stickers.

0:19.0

My team and I got creative with one of the t-shirt designs

0:22.0

and came up with an image of a

0:23.1

crypto rabbit falling down a hole.

0:25.1

Swirling into the hole with the rabbit are playing cards showing some of the

0:28.1

coins like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Manaro, as well as a Dow card ripped in half.

0:32.1

There's a Guy Fox mask, a D-Fi cake, a Lambo, and a teapot that says Hodal,

0:37.0

as well as teacups showing the Reddit and Twitter logos.

0:39.0

There's even a shit coin.

0:41.0

The rabbit is wearing a big Bitcoin key on a keychain, a unicorn and rainbow

0:45.2

t-shirt and of course is listening to Unchained. We've also got rabbit versions of the mug and some decals as well as a special

0:53.8

Bitcoin Maxi mug and an Ethereum Maxi mug. Check it all out at shop

0:59.5

dot unchanged podcast. Again, that's Shop

1:02.8

Unchained Podcast.

1:04.8

This holiday season, how can your donation do the most good in the world?

1:08.6

Gift Well spends 20,000 hours each year researching charity,

1:12.1

looking for the places where your

1:13.3

donation will save or improve lives the most. They provide a free list of the most

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