North Korean hackers have stolen more than $2 billion in crypto assets so far this year according to a new report by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- North Korea-backed hackers have stolen more than $2 billion in cryptoassets so far this year, according to blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.
In a report published on the company's website Tuesday, researchers said that the sum was the result of more than 30 hacks and represented "the largest annual total on record, with three months still to go."
This year's record haul was driven by the theft of nearly $1.5 billion in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit by the North's state-sponsored Lazarus Group, in what has been described as the biggest heist in history.
Other attacks publicly attributed to North Korea in 2025 include $14 million stolen from nine users on crypto exchange WOO X in July and $1.2 million in tokens stolen from blockchain funding platform Seedify in September.
