Dec. 18 (UPI) -- North Korea topped its own world record for cryptocurrency theft with a $2.02 billion haul in 2025, which accounted for about 60% of the world's $3.4 billion in crypto thefts.

North Korea's stolen crypto this year totaled $720 million and is 51% more than North Korea's then-record $1.3 billion take in 2024. It raises to $6.75 billion its total in cryptocurrency thefts in recent years, according to a report released on Thursday by blockchain data provider Chainalysis.

Much of this year's stolen cryptocurrency occurred when hackers working for North Korea's hacking team in February pilfered some $1.5 billion worth of mostly ethereum cryptocurrency from Dubai-based exchange Bybit, NBC News reported.

The $1.5 billion Bybit theft set a world record for the most stolen in a single incident.

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