North Korea stole a record $2B in crypto this year

"North Korea's yearly cryptocurrency thefts have accelerated, with Kim's state-backed cybercriminals plundering just over $2 billion worth of tokens in 2025. That's according to research from blockchain biz Chainalysis, whose experts say that the figure represents a 51 percent increase year-on-year, and a huge proportion of the $3.4 billion that was stolen in total, globally. "This marks the most severe year on record for DPRK crypto theft in terms of value stolen, with DPRK attacks also accounting for a record 76 percent of all service compromises," the company's report noted."

"A major influencing factor on the steep rise is North Korea's February attack on Bybit, which netted around $1.5 billion worth of digital assets. Another reason for this rise is the state's increased targeting of personal wallets, representing nearly half (44 percent) of the total value. In 2022, this accounted for just 7.3 percent of the country's efforts. North Korea was responsible for around 158,000 individual wallet attacks this year, affecting 80,000 unique individuals. Chainalysis said this is likely due to the heightened interest in cryptocurrency investing. It cited Solana as one example, with attacks on Solana-connected wallets amounting to 26,500 victims."

"Chainalysis said: "The country's record-breaking 2025 performance - achieved with 74 percent fewer known attacks - suggests we may be seeing only the most visible portion of its activities. The challenge for 2026 will be detecting and preventing these high-impact operations before DPRK-affiliated actors inflict another Bybit-scale incident.""

North Korean state-backed cybercriminals stole just over $2 billion in cryptocurrencies in 2025, a 51 percent year-on-year increase and the majority of the $3.4 billion stolen globally. The February Bybit breach accounted for about $1.5 billion of the total. Targeting of personal wallets rose to 44 percent of stolen value, up from 7.3 percent in 2022, resulting in roughly 158,000 individual wallet attacks that affected 80,000 unique individuals. Solana-connected wallets produced about 26,500 victims. Cumulative DPRK-linked cryptocurrency thefts are estimated at $6.75 billion since tracking began, with high-value operations occurring amid fewer known attacks.

Read at Theregister