North Korean hackers account for over half of global crypto theft

An electronic display shows Bitcoin prices at cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb in southern Seoul on Dec. 18, 2024. Yonhap

SEOUL, December 20 (AJP) - North Korea-linked hackers reportedly have stolen approximately .34 billion in cryptocurrency across 47 separate scams this year. The amount is the largest ever recorded, according to a report released on Thursday by American blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis.

The stolen amount surpasses the previous record of .1 billion in 2022 and more than doubles last year's total of 0.5 million.

The firm said that North Korean hackers accounted for 60.9 percent of the .2 billion in global cryptocurrency losses from hacking scams last year.

"Unfortunately, it appears that [North Korea's] crypto attacks are becoming more frequent," the firm said.

South Korea, the U.S., and Japan have recently been at the forefront of international efforts to prevent North Korea from using stolen cryptocurrency to finance its nuclear weapons and missile development programs.