A complete of $2.2bn (£1.76bn) in cryptocurrencies has been stolen this yr, with North Korean hackers accounting for greater than half that determine, in response to a brand new examine.
Analysis agency Chainalysis says hackers affiliated with the reclusive state stole $1.3bn of digital currencies – greater than double final yr’s haul.
A few of the thefts seem like linked to North Korean hackers posing as distant IT staff to infiltrate crypto and different know-how corporations, the report says.
It comes because the price of bitcoin has more than doubled this yr as incoming US president Donald Trump is anticipated to be extra crypto-friendly than his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Total, the quantity of cryptocurrency stolen by hackers in 2024 elevated by 21% from final yr nevertheless it was nonetheless under the degrees recorded in 2021 and 2022, the report mentioned.
“The rise in stolen crypto in 2024 underscores the necessity for the trade to handle an more and more advanced and evolving menace panorama.”
It mentioned nearly all of crypto stolen this yr was resulting from compromised non-public keys – that are used to regulate entry to customers’ property on crypto platforms.
“Provided that centralised exchanges handle substantial quantities of consumer funds, the affect of a personal key compromise might be devastating”, the examine added.
A few of the most vital incidents this yr included the theft of the equal of $300m in bitcoin from Japanese cryptocurrency alternate, DMM Bitcoin, and the lack of almost $235m from WazirX, an India-based crypto alternate.
The US authorities has mentioned the North Korean regime resorts to cryptocurrency theft and different types of cybercrime to avoid worldwide sanctions and lift cash.
Final week, a federal court in St Louis indicted 14 North Koreans for allegedly being part of a long-running conspiracy aimed toward extorting funds from US corporations and funnelling cash to Pyongyang’s weapons programmes.
The US State Division additionally introduced that it will provide a reward of as much as $5m for anybody who might present extra details about the alleged scheme.
