North Korean hackers stole a record $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025.

According to the Korea Times, Chainalysis's "Crypto Crime 2026" report states that North Korea stole approximately $2.02 billion through crypto networks in 2025, a 51% surge year-on-year, setting a new record. The total amount stolen has reached approximately $6.75 billion. The report states that North Korean hackers are shifting towards a "fewer but larger" attack pattern, with the three largest hacking incidents in 2025 accounting for the majority of the year's losses. Attack targets are also shifting back from DeFi to centralized exchanges and core infrastructure, including a $1.5 billion exchange attack in February. Furthermore, North Korean hackers are employing more sophisticated money laundering methods, with over 60% of funds being transferred in smaller, single transactions of less than $500,000, and frequently combining social engineering and technical attacks.