Bitcoin mixer YoMix replaced the North Korean hackers with a sub-sanctioned Sinbad
The North Korean group Lazarus Group began to actively use the YoMix cryptocurrency mixer after the imposition of sanctions against the Sinbad service. This was reported by the analytical company Chainalysis.
They found out that in 2023, the inflow of funds to YoMix increased fivefold. Moreover, about a third of the assets came from wallets associated with hacking of cryptocurrency platforms.
Lazarus also actively uses cross-chain bridges to launder funds. Last year, $743.8 million related to crime was sent through them — twice as much as in 2022 ($312.2 million).
According to analysts, in 2023, cybercriminals laundered at least $22 billion through various services that hide the origin of funds. In 2022, this figure was $31.5 billion.
At the same time, mixers are losing popularity: in 2023, they received cryptocurrencies worth $504.3 million from crime-related addresses, compared with $1 billion in 2022.
Of the centralized exchanges, five platforms processed 71.7% of illegal transactions last year. According to Chainalysis calculations, 109 exchange addresses received a total of $3.4 billion worth of "dirty" cryptocurrency.
Recall that Sinbad became the main mixer for laundering cryptocurrencies of the Lazarus group after blocking Blender and Tornado Cash. However, in November 2023, OFAC imposed sanctions on him as well.
Source: https://forklog.com/news/bitkoin-mikser-yomix-zamenil-hakeram-kndr-podsanktsionnyj-sinbad
