According to ChainCatcher, monitored by Chainalysis, North Korean-related hackers stole a record $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025, a 51% increase from 2024, accounting for 76% of the total amount stolen from cryptocurrency services globally for the year. Although the number of attacks has significantly decreased, the profitability of individual attacks has notably increased, with losses from the Bybit attack in February reaching $1.5 billion. Since records began, North Korean-related entities have cumulatively stolen $6.75 billion.
Chainalysis noted in the (2026 Crypto Crime Report) preview that North Korean hackers have shifted their attack targets from decentralized finance protocols to core infrastructure such as centralized exchanges. Their money laundering pattern exhibits high-frequency small-value characteristics, with over 60% of funds being split through transfers of less than $500,000. Additionally, hackers have also gained system access by impersonating recruiters or strategic partners, utilizing social engineering techniques. Experts urge the industry to adopt behavior-based monitoring tools to address the increasingly complex national-level cybercrime.