The number of North Korean cryptocurrency hacking incidents has surged, with theft and money laundering activities reaching an all-time high in 2025

According to The Block, a report by Chainalysis shows that North Korean hackers stole a record amount of cryptocurrency in 2025, totaling over $2.17 billion, including nearly $1.5 billion in Ethereum stolen from the Bybit platform, marking the largest single cryptocurrency hack in history.

Additionally, North Korean hackers have been accused of carrying out a recent $37 million attack on the South Korean exchange Upbit. Despite facing international sanctions, North Korea's cyberattacks continue to escalate, with hacker groups like Lazarus constantly optimizing their strategies to exploit vulnerabilities in the global blockchain and cryptocurrency space.

Andrew Fierman, the head of national security intelligence at Chainalysis, pointed out that relying solely on sanctions is far from enough; coordinated action from the entire industry is needed to combat North Korea's increasingly sophisticated hacking and money laundering ecosystem. The regime is expected to continue relying on cryptocurrency hacks as a primary source of income.