North Korea likely paid Russian cybercriminals for their help hacking into banks and other corporate networks to steal money and data, security experts revealed in a report published on Wednesday. 

Working with hackers linked to Russia could allow DPRK-linked groups to focus their efforts on more important tasks, according to researchers at security firm Intel 471. The collaboration reportedly shows the “trusted relationships” North Korean hackers have built with elite Russian-speaking cybercriminals.

“Becoming trusted, verified and achieving a good underground reputation takes years of work,” the security experts wrote. “Reputation is gained through being involved in buying and selling products,