North Korea’s army of 6,800 hackers have stolen millions in cryptocurrency in recent years -- helping the regime withstand economic sanctions & run its nuclear program.
- North Korean hackers stole $400m in cryptocurrency
in 2021 & close to $1B so far in 2022 (the
country earned only $89m in official exports in 2020).
- In April 2022, the U.S. Treasury Dept. linked North Korea’s Lazarus hacking group to the theft of $620 million in cryptocurrency from videogame Axie Infinity.
The lack of regulation and compliance rules, as well as the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency platforms have made it easier for North Korean hacker to move the stolen funds around and eventually cash out.
