Security News > 2023 > December > North Korea's state hackers stole $3 billion in crypto since 2017
North Korean-backed state hackers have stolen an estimated $3 billion in a long string of hacks targeting the cryptocurrency industry over the last six years since January 2017.
"Since 2017, North Korea has significantly increased its focus on the cryptocurrency industry, stealing an estimated $3 billion worth of cryptocurrency," Recorded Future analysts said.
As recently outlined in a confidential United Nations report, North Korean state hackers have been behind unprecedented levels of cryptocurrency theft, stealing between $630 million and more than $1 billion in 2022 alone, effectively doubling Pyongyang's illicit profits from cyber theft compared to the previous.
Their cryptocurrency attacks started surging after the hack of South Korean exchanges Bithumb, Youbit, and Yapizon in 2017 when they stole crypto assets worth roughly $82.7 million.
In the last two years, North Korean Lazarus hackers have been linked to crypto heists against the Harmony blockchain bridge, the Nomad bridge, the Qubit Finance bridge, and the largest crypto hack ever after breaching the Ronin Network cross-chain bridge and stealing $620 million.
US seizes Sinbad crypto mixer used by North Korean Lazarus hackers.
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