A British cyber-security firm says it believes that the North Korean-affiliated Lazarus group is likely behind the latest hacking into a Taiwanese bank.
 
An official of BAE Systems told Reuters on Monday that the likely culprit is Lazarus, adding that the hack job was carried out through the global SWIFT messaging system.
 
Taiwan’s Central News Agency said last week that hackers sought to steal some 60 million U.S. dollars from Far Eastern Bank and all but 500-thousand dollars had been recovered.
 
The official said that the hacking group apparently faced difficulties in pulling funds out of the banking system as SWIFT and banks had strengthened their security systems following a major hacking incident into Bangladesh’s central bank last year. Lazarus was suspected of being responsible for that heist as well.
 
North Korea is said to be using hacking as a means to earn foreign currency as the international community toughens economic sanctions on the reclusive state following the North’s most powerful nuclear test.
 
BAE Systems had previously revealed that Lazarus sought to steal money from banks in Mexico and Poland.

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