According to the latest report by Chainalysis, in 2024, global hackers stole $2.2 billion worth of crypto assets, with North Korean hackers alone stealing over $1.3 billion, double the amount stolen in 2023 and accounting for 61% of the total amount stolen by global hackers in 2024.
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ToggleGlobal Hacker Attacks: DeFi and Centralized Services Are Difficult to Escape
According to the latest report by Chainalysis, global hackers stole $2.2 billion worth of crypto assets in 2024, an increase of 21% compared to 2023, but far lower than the $3.7 billion stolen in 2022. In 2024, the targets of hacker attacks have changed:
- Q1: DeFi platforms were the main victims, with hackers stealing crypto assets through smart contract vulnerabilities.
- Q2 and Q3: Centralized exchanges (CEXs) became the main targets of hacker attacks.
- September: The crypto exchange BingX was hacked, with about $44 million stolen.
- July: The Indian exchange WazirX was attacked by hackers, losing as much as $235 million, making it one of the most devastating hacker attacks in 2024.
The Amount Stolen by North Korean Hackers is Growing Rapidly, and Large-Scale Attacks are Increasing
The report states that in 2024, North Korean hackers accounted for 61% of the total amount stolen by global hackers, about $1.3 billion, double the amount stolen in 2023.
The number of cases where North Korean hackers stole more than $50 million in a single attack has increased significantly, and there have even been multiple attacks exceeding $100 million. Compared to 2023, when most attacks were less than $50 million, the data for 2024 shows that North Korean hackers have significantly improved their large-scale attack capabilities and are gradually targeting higher-value crypto assets.
North Korean Hacker Attacks May Decrease Due to Political Factors
Although the overall amount stolen has reached a new high, North Korean hacker attacks have decreased significantly after July 2024, which may be related to North Korea's deepening political and military cooperation with Russia.
The report states that in late June 2024, Russian President Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a summit in Pyongyang and signed a joint defense agreement, which also released hundreds of millions of dollars in North Korean assets frozen by the United Nations. At the same time, North Korea has deployed troops to Ukraine and provided military weapons and missiles to Russia.
The report also compares the amount stolen by North Korean hackers before and after July 1, 2024, and shows a significant decrease in the amount stolen. In other words, after the summit, the amount stolen by North Korean hackers decreased by about 53.73%, so North Korea's cooperation with Russia may have also changed North Korea's own hacker attack activities.
Hacker Threats Cannot Be Ignored
Although North Korean hackers were quite active in their attacks in 2024, the total amount stolen by global hackers still did not exceed the historical record of $3.7 billion in 2022. But these data also remind us again that both DeFi platforms and centralized exchanges (CEXs) need to continuously strengthen their security mechanisms to prevent the growing hacker attacks.
Risk Warning
Investing in cryptocurrencies is highly risky, and their prices may fluctuate dramatically. You may lose your entire principal. Please carefully evaluate the risks.
