Description

Security experts have discovered fresh proof that North Korean threat actors, specifically the Lazarus Group, are exploiting Astrill VPN to hide their actual IP addresses in cyberattacks and IT worker fraud schemes. In a recent Silent Push cybersecurity company investigation, the Lazarus subgroup, identified as "Contagious Interview" or "Famous Chollima," actively uses Astrill VPN as part of its operational security tactics. The company examined infrastructure logs and discovered that the group had registered the domain "bybit-assessment[.]com" several hours prior to the $1.4 billion ByBit cryptocurrency theft, employing an email address that had been previously associated with Lazarus Group operations. The logs also uncovered 27 distinct Astrill VPN IP addresses, further confirming the group's use of this VPN service for concealment. The Lazarus Group's utilization of Astrill VPN is? part of a larger, advanced effort to conceal their operations. SecurityScorecard's STRIKE researchers mapped the group's infrastructure, which entailed sending traffic through several layers of VPNs and proxies to hide their real location. The team followed connections to six unique IP addresses in Pyongyang, North Korea, that were routed via Astrill VPN endpoints and a middle proxy layer in Russia before hitting the group's command and control servers. This multi-layered obfuscation method showcases the group's sophisticated knowledge of operational security, further complicating security teams to trace their operations back to North Korea. This continuous threat illustrates the threat of North Korean IT professionals who keep on impersonating legitimate job applicants in order to gain access into organizations worldwide. The Astrill VPN IPs were found frequently to be tied to remote control software employed by such imposter IT staff through September 2024 reports filed by Google's Mandiant. It is assumed that the sources of these links would be located in China or North Korea. Cybersecurity companies continue to make new lists available, like that of about 2,400 IPs by Spur.us, so organizations may strengthen their defensive systems. Businesses are recommended to put in place deeper background checks, such as biometric authentication and on-camera interviews, and keep an eye out for indications of remote access software or connections from recognized high-risk VPN providers.