Zerion Hot Wallet Loses $100K in AI-Driven Social Engineering Attack by North Korea-Linked Hackers

Gate News message, April 15 — Zerion disclosed that some of its corporate hot wallets were recently targeted in an AI-driven social engineering attack linked to North Korean hackers, resulting in a loss of approximately $100,000. The company confirmed that user funds, applications, and infrastructure remain unaffected and proactively shut down its web app as a precautionary measure.

This marks the second similar attack this month, following the $280 million theft from Drift Protocol. The incidents highlight how North Korean hacking groups are leveraging AI to optimize social engineering tactics, primarily targeting employees and developers at crypto firms.

According to the Security Alliance (SEAL), the hacker group UNC1069 conducted multi-week, low-pressure social engineering campaigns via Telegram, LinkedIn, and Slack, using AI tools to edit images and videos to enhance attack effectiveness.