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North Korea-Linked Crypto Thefts Top $2 Billion in 2025, Elliptic Says

Researchers cite a pivot to social engineering with sophisticated cross‑chain laundering.

HONG KONG - 2019/04/05: In this photo illustration a democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea flag is seen on an Android mobile device with a figure of hacker in the background. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a press confernce, June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
North korean hackers have stolen over $2 billion this year: elliptic
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Overview

  • The February breach of exchange Bybit accounted for about $1.46 billion, with the FBI attributing the hack to North Korea under its TraderTraitor operation.
  • Elliptic counts more than 30 attributed hacks in 2025, including incidents at LND.fi, WOO X, Seedify and Taiwan’s BitoPro.
  • The firm’s tally lifts cumulative North Korea-linked crypto theft since 2017 to over $6 billion.
  • Analysts report a growing focus on high‑net‑worth individuals and exchange staff through phishing, fake job offers and account compromise.
  • Investigators trace increasingly complex laundering that uses multi‑round cross‑chain swaps, mixers, obscure blockchains and self‑issued tokens, while totals may be conservative due to attribution gaps and unreported cases.