Overview
- Blockchain security firm CertiK reports DPRK-linked groups took roughly $2.06 billion in 2025, a share that other firms like Chainalysis and Elliptic describe as about 60% of global crypto theft.
- Researchers say fewer but larger heists now define the threat, with the February 2025 Bybit breach of about $1.46–$1.5 billion cited as the biggest crypto theft on record.
- The report describes rapid laundering through decentralized exchanges and cross-chain bridges, noting a case where 86% of stolen funds moved out within a month.
- Attackers increasingly use social engineering to gain insider access, as seen in the April 2026 Drift Protocol hack where infiltrators posed as a trading firm for months.
- Authorities and companies are stepping up countermeasures, with a U.S. DOJ civil forfeiture case targeting $7.7 million and security firms urging stricter ID checks, zero-trust hiring, and hardening of wallets and bridges.