India, Nov. 13 -- North Korean state-backed hackers have stolen more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over the past 18 months. They did so by impersonating trusted contacts through fake video meetings and secretly recording victims' webcam footage, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on November 12, as US authorities moved to disrupt the cybercrime operation.

The scheme, identified as "FaceStealer", uses compromised social media and communication accounts to send convincing invitations to video calls. The hackers impersonate contacts familiar to their targets, exploiting personal and professional relationships to gain access to cryptocurrency holdings and computer systems.

The FBI said the operation had targeted people in ...