North Korea steals $2.8 billion in Bitcoin – cybercrime is booming!

North Korea steals $2.8 billion in Bitcoin – cybercrime is booming!

A recent report shows that North Korean hackers have entered the cryptocurrency space on a dramatic scale. Between January 2024 and September 2025, a total loss of $2.837 billion was recorded from cyberattacks on Bitcoin and other crypto assets. This information was collected by UN member states and published by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), which is responsible for monitoring violations of international sanctions.

The stolen amounts are attributed to groups such as TraderTraitor and CryptoCore, which are backed by North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau. These hackers use a variety of methods to carry out their attacks, including spear phishing, supply chain attacks, and deploying malware on crypto exchanges worldwide.

Details of the attacks

In 2024, hackers recorded a theft of $1.19 billion, an increase of 50% compared to 2023. In 2025 alone, stolen goods rose to $1.65 billion by September. A standout event was the record $1.46 billion hack of Bybit in February. These attacks allowed the perpetrators to convert all Bybit funds into fiat currency using Chinese and Russian brokers.

Among the most significant attacks were the theft of $308 million from DMM Bitcoin in Japan in May and $235 million from WazirX in India in July. These attacks were made possible by manipulated smart contracts and even fake job tests. Such aggressive cyber strategies have reached alarming proportions and require urgent action at the international level.

Reactions and measures

The international community, especially global banks and crypto platforms, are being urged to freeze linked wallets and take measures to repatriate North Korean workers. The MSMT report also suggests that the total number of thefts remains under investigation and may exceed current estimates. Finally, many incidents have not yet been confirmed by UN member states and their investigating parties, suggesting that the threat from North Korean hackers may be even more extensive than currently thought.

The scandalous activities of North Korean hackers not only raise questions about national security measures, but also highlight the need for collective action against cybercrime in the cryptocurrency sector. Daily Hodl reports that the scale of these attacks represents an alarming warning to governments and financial institutions worldwide.