North Korea Is Responsible For Almost $400 Million In Stolen Cryptocurrency In 2021

There is often an uneasy connection between cryptocurrencies and hacks and theft. Per Chainalysis, North Korea remains the main culprit behind these incidents. Hackers from the country stole close to $400 million in crypto through cyberattacks in 2021. 

North Korea Continues Its Hacking Efforts

Most people will not be surprised to learn North Korea still funds hackers to attack public infrastructure. Interestingly, a lot of effort has been put into attacking cryptocurrency companies and platforms. While the initial focus was on obtaining Bitcoin, the world’s leading cryptocurrency’s share has now dropped to 20%. Ethereum has taken over the lead, representing 58% of all funds stolen. The remainder covers ERC-2o tokens and various altcoins. 

Attacks coming out of North Korea mainly target investment firms and centralized exchanges. Common attack methods include phishing, code exploits, malware, and advanced social engineering. However, the human part of a decentralized world remains the biggest point of failure. Any stolen cryptocurrency acquired by the DPRK is used to bypass economic sanctions and fund nuclear weapon and ballistic missile research. 

Unfortunately, it would appear that North Korea and its army of hackers remain an advanced persistent threat. North Korean hackers have become more present in the past few years than other attack vectors. Moreover, the amount of cryptocurrency stolen per year is rising again, which is rather problematic. 

Laundering the stolen funds occurs through multiple solutions, ranging from chain chopping to Peel Chain and coin swaps or mixing. Coin mixers remove any taint from an existing crypto balance and issue the user a ‘fresh set” of coins with no direct link to the original money. Moreover, decentralized exchanges make it easy to convert such currencies due to deep liquidity. 

Disclaimer

For paid/sponsored articles, FintechMode neither endorses nor takes responsibility for the accuracy, timeliness, quality, and content of said articles. The statements, views and opinions expressed in paid/sponsored articles are solely those of the content provider and readers are reminded that Cryptocurrency products are unregulated in most locations and can be highly risky. Do your own research and consult relevant financial experts before making any investment decisions. FintechMode will not be held accountable, either directly or indirectly, for any harm or loss that may stem from or be linked to the usage or reliance on any information, goods, or services mentioned on this page. If you have any concerns, please email support@fintechmode.com or refer to our Terms & Conditions