North Korea leads global crypto hacks with US$2 billion in 2025
Chainalysis said the divergence has become more pronounced over time. Non–North Korean attackers showed a relatively even distribution across theft sizes this year, while North Korean operations dominated the highest-value ranges.
“When North Korean hackers strike, they target large services and aim for maximum impact,” the report said.
Their tactics reflect a shift away from exploiting decentralised finance vulnerabilities toward centralised exchanges and custodians as DeFi security improves. The US$1.5 billion breach at Dubai-based exchange Bybit in February, the largest crypto heist on record, illustrates the scale of that approach.
The report pointed to insider infiltration as a key driver behind North Korea’s ability to…
