North Korea Crypto Thefts Surge 51% to $2.02B in 2025

North Korea-linked actors stole $2.02 billion in crypto during 2025, marking a 51% year-over-year increase according to CrowdStrike. The surge builds on earlier findings that DPRK groups have stolen $6.75 billion across 263 incidents since 2016, with 2025 alone accounting for roughly 60% of total industry losses. High-profile 2025-2026 heists such as the $1.5 billion Bybit breach, $294 million KelpDAO hack, and $285 million Drift exploit illustrate the growing scale, while stolen funds are routinely laundered through mixers and DeFi platforms to finance Pyongyang’s military programs. Regulators and exchanges now face heightened compliance pressure as attacks continue into 2026.