Cyberattacks by North Korea on the rise, crypto thefts reach record levels

A report by research firm Elliptic shows that North Korean hackers have carried out more than 30 cyberattacks since the beginning of 2025, stealing over $2 billion worth of cryptocurrencies.

This is the highest amount in history, even though there are still three months left until the end of the year. The previous record, set in 2022, was $1.35 billion.

The hackers, who according to the FBI work for the North Korean regime, have recently been focusing not only on crypto exchanges, but also on private investors with large assets. A new trend is the use of social engineering – victims are deceived into revealing access to their digital wallets themselves.

This represents a departure from classic technical attacks and is evidence that Pyongyang is increasingly relying on psychological tactics.

According to the United Nations, the stolen cryptocurrencies are likely being used to fund North Korea's nuclear program. Elliptic estimates that hackers have stolen at least $6 billion since 2017, with the actual figure likely to be even higher.

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