As reported by Asia Today, citing South Korean law enforcement agencies, North Korean hackers stole $180 million in cryptocurrency in the first half of 2023.
According to the South Korean Intelligence Service (NIS), North Korea has illegally taken possession of more than $1.5 billion in virtual assets since 2015.
NIS experts estimate that it has been linked to more than $180 million worth of hacker attacks in the first half of this year alone.
North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group is suspected of being involved in numerous cryptocurrency-related hacks.
According to a recent United Nations (UN) report, North Korean hackers continue to attack cryptocurrency projects to fund their nuclear and missile programs.
The report notes that Pyongyang “continues to use increasingly sophisticated cyber techniques to steal funds and information.”
The WSJ recently reported that North Korean hackers were able to steal $3 billion in cryptocurrencies over the past five years to fund their nuclear program.