Alert!!! North Korea 'trying to hack Bitcoin' as cryptocurrency value SURGES to record highs

Ashley Shen, an independent security researcher, said: "We assume one of the reasons why Bitcoin is being attacked is because the price keeps increasing and we think it's reasonable for hackers (to target).

"Digital currency might be easier to gain than physical currency. So I think it's reasonable."

The value of Bitcoin has dramatically increased since it was first created in 2009.

During the last week alone, Bitcoin’s value has dramatically risen, peaking at a staggering £11,940 ($16,000) per coin.

Ms Shen and her colleagues have tracked attacks by hacking groups Lazarus, Bluenoroff and Andariel on financial institutions including banks in Europe and South Korea, Bitcoin exchanges and an ATM company.
The independent security researcher added: "My own opinion is they will probably keep doing the Bitcoins because the price keeps increasing and it's a good investment... So I assume they will do more Bitcoin attacks and of course they will keep targeting banks because that's what they did before."