In short
- The quantity of crypto stolen by hackers within the first half of 2025 has set a brand new report.
- Over $2.1 billion was swiped by hackers within the first six months of this yr.
- Blockchain intelligence supplier TRM Labs mentioned hackers linked to North Korea are largely responsible.
Hackers have stolen $2.1 billion in crypto, a report excessive within the first half of 2025, with North Korean-sponsored actors accounting for 70% of the losses, a report launched Friday by blockchain intelligence supplier TRM Labs reveals.
The entire quantity was 10% greater than the earlier excessive set in 2022, in response to “H1 2025 Crypto Hacks and Exploits: A New Document Amid Evolving Threats,” which famous that North Korean teams have been allegedly behind $1.6 billion of the stolen crypto.
TRM mentioned that North Korea has cemented its “place as probably the most prolific nation-state menace actor within the crypto house.”
“Thefts function a vital instrument of statecraft” for the nation, the report added.
The massive sum of swiped funds within the first half of this yr was pushed by the practically $1.5 billion February theft of Ethereum and Ethereum-related property from crypto alternate Bybit—the most important hack within the crypto business’s historical past.
Multi-signature pockets supplier Secure mentioned the heist stemmed from a compromised developer laptop computer. An investigation discovered {that a} high-level Secure developer’s workstation was compromised on February 4 when it interacted with a malicious docker undertaking, or light-weight software.
Authorities accused North Korean hackers for the exploit of the Dubai-based alternate—and TRM Labs reached the identical conclusion.
“The February 2025 Bybit breach… reshaped the narrative for the yr, inflating common hack measurement and underscoring the strategic use of cybercrime by nation-states,” the report famous.
U.S. authorities have lengthy alleged that North Korea’s closely sanctioned authorities makes use of hackers to steal crypto and fund its nuclear program.
Main crypto hacks have typically been traced again to the nation, which is run by dictator Kim Jong Un.
TRM Labs mentioned that crypto hacks more and more seem “symbolic or strategic fairly than financially motivated, highlighting a shift in how crypto crime is weaponized.”
The report additional added that 80% of losses this yr have been attributable to infrastructure assaults, the place hackers get management of personal keys and seed phrases.
Edited by James Rubin
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