Foreign Minister Penny Wong says North Korea’s involvement in cyber crimes is deeply concerning. Photo: NPC.
Australia has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on four entities and one individual engaged in cybercrime to support and fund North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the scale of North Korea’s involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities, including cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work and espionage as “deeply concerning”.
“We all know the scale of risk and the threat that North Korea poses to the region,” she said.
“So we are always looking at ways to do more with other partners to put pressure on the regime, and starving them of funds is obviously a very important part of that.”
The second report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), which includes Australian researchers, has just been published and found UN-sanctioned North Korean entities to have deep links with malicious cyber activities.
MSMT was established last year to observe North Korea’s compliance with UN sanctions.
Its just-released second report shows North Korean cyber actors stole at least $1.9 billion in cryptocurrency from companies around the world in 2024, and used a global network of North Korean nationals and foreign facilitators to launder stolen digital assets.
It also says North Korean officials used cryptocurrencies to sell and transfer military equipment and raw munitions materials such as copper.
The 138-page report claims officials in Pyongyang had orchestrated clandestine cyber crimes to finance research and development of nuclear arms, the authors of the 138-page report found.
“The Australian Government is taking this action with the United States to apply pressure on North Korea’s illegal revenue generation networks and address its persistent challenges to security and stability,” Senator Wong said in a statement issued on Thursday (6 November).
“Australia will continue to work with international partners to respond to malicious cyber activity, promote the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace and keep Australians safe.
“We call on North Korea to comply fully with United Nations Security Council resolutions to abandon its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”
The minister also encouraged all Australians to be “vigilant about their cyber security”, and she warned that payments to entities and individuals listed under Australia’s autonomous sanctions framework could result in action by law enforcement agencies.
The US State Department also this week sanctioned two entities and eight individuals alleged to have supported North Korea’s schemes to launder funds.
The department issued a statement to say the US “strongly condemns” the activities of entities associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
In a separate development, also on Thursday, the Federal Government passed legislation to strengthen Australia’s counter‑terrorism framework.
The Criminal Code Amendment (State Sponsors of Terrorism) Act 2025 creates a new framework in the Criminal Code Act 1995 to allow the government to respond to threats posed by state-sponsored terrorism.
It will allow foreign state entities to be listed as state sponsors of terrorism where they have engaged in, or otherwise supported or advocated for, terrorist acts targeted at Australia.
It also establishes a comprehensive suite of criminal offences, directly targeting state sponsors of terrorism, their proxies, and those who would seek to support these entities and their activities.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said it sends a clear message to foreign state entities that any actions seeking to harm Australia and Australians will not be tolerated.
“The first priority of our government is the safety and protection of all Australians, which is why we have acted decisively in passing this vital legislation through the parliament,” Ms Rowland said.
“This legislation is a warning that foreign states and their supporters who seek to fuel division, create fear, erode social cohesion and perpetrate violence in the Australian community will be held to account.
“These changes will make it more difficult, more risky, and more costly for malicious foreign actors to seek to cause Australia and our community harm.”
The passing of the legislation follows this week’s 2025 Lowy Lecture by Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess, who said there was a “realistic possibility” a foreign government will try to assassinate a dissident on Australian soil.
“We believe there are at least three nations willing and capable of conducting lethal targeting here,” the ASIO boss said.
“It is entirely possible the regimes would try to hide their involvement by hiring criminal cut-outs, as Iran did when directing its arson attacks.”
Iran’s ambassador to Canberra, Ahmad Sadeghi, was expelled from Australia in August, following revelations that the Iranian government orchestrated antisemitic attacks against the Australian Jewish community.
