Hackers from North Korea have become the main nightmare for cryptocurrency owners — in 2025 they stole at least $2.02 billion

In 2025, attackers stole cryptocurrencies worth more than $3.4 billion, making this year one of the most significant in history in terms of the amount of funds stolen.

What is known

According to the analytical company Chainalysis, hackers from North Korea are the biggest threat to cryptocurrency owners. In 2025, they stole at least $2.02 billion — a record figure that has grown by 51% compared to 2024, and the total amount stolen by them over several years is $6.75 billion.

Although the number of confirmed attacks by North Korean groups has decreased, each of them causes much more damage as they target large services and infrastructure. Overall, North Korean cybercriminals account for 60% of the stolen funds this year.

While North Korean hackers previously simply hacked crypto-wallets, they now act with more complex and subtle methods: they infiltrate companies, impersonate support staff, and deceitfully gain access to critical infrastructure or trick victims into installing malware, through which cryptocurrency theft occurs. Koreans also actively use complex laundering schemes through cross-chain bridges, mixer services, and specialized platforms.

This activity is actively supported by the Korean government, hackers receive top-notch equipment and full state protection, and North Korea has one of the largest reserves of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies in the world.

The largest operation of 2025 was an attack on the ByBit cryptocurrency exchange, resulting in assets worth $1.5 billion being stolen.

Meanwhile, the Chainalysis agency noted that the total amount stolen from ordinary users' wallets decreased compared to last year, most likely due to strengthened security protocols of exchanges and wallets.

Source: Chainalysis