DPRK Hackers Stole $659M in Crypto Last Year: US Govt.

#cryptonews

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)-backed hackers have stolen at least $659 million in 2024 through various crypto heists.

The USA, Japan and South Korea released a joint statement Tuesday, detailing North Korea-linked crypto thefts and their targeted entities.

The DPRK-affiliated groups, including the infamous Lazarus Group, has been demonstrating a pattern of malicious behavior in cyberspace.

“Our three governments strive together to prevent thefts, including from private industry, by the DPRK and to recover stolen funds with the ultimate goal of denying the DPRK illicit revenue for its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs,” the US government wrote.

The statement warned the blockchain industry regarding the ongoing targeting that compromised several entities.

In October 2024, the US government filed a legal complaint against Lazarus Group, to recover $2.6 million in stolen cryptos.

The group laundered $200 million worth of crypto into fiat currency between August 2020 and October 2023, per an investigation.

Japanese exchange DMM Bitcoin topped the list with $320 million loss in May 2024, due to a private key hack.  In the same month, Bahrain-based crypto exchange Rain Management fell victim to a $14.8 million exploit, carried-out by North Korean perpetrators.

The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea highlighted some of the major thefts in 2024, that amassed millions of cryptos.

Governments Attribute Multiple 2024 Crypto Thefts to DPRK

He then suggested, “You’ve got to think about Solana as probably the next one. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana are probably the big three for this cycle.”

In a recent episode of CNBC’s ‘Fast Money’, Kelly, who is also the founder and CEO of the BKCM Digital Asset Fund, posed the question, “The trade now is, who’s next?”

In contrast, crypto investor and trader Brian Kelly has suggested that Solana could potentially become the next cryptocurrency to have a spot ETF in the United States.