The G7 just made North Korea’s hacking habit everyone’s problem. Leaders from the world’s seven largest advanced economies used their joint statement at the Evian summit to explicitly call out Pyongyang’s cryptocurrency theft operations.
“We reiterate the need to jointly address North Korea’s cryptocurrency thefts and cybercrimes,” the leaders stated on June 17, 2026.
The numbers behind the alarm
North Korean hackers stole $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency during 2025 alone. That figure represents a 51% jump from the prior year. Since 2017, cumulative losses tied to DPRK-linked cyber operations have exceeded $6.75 billion.
The crown jewel of that operation was the $1.5 billion theft from the Bybit exchange in February 2025. The FBI attributed that breach to a North Korean outfit called “TraderTraitor.” The bureau noted that stolen assets are rapidly converted into Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
