Chainalysis's latest report points out that global hackers stole a total of US$2.2 billion in crypto assets in 2024, of which North Korean hackers alone stole more than US$1.3 billion, twice the amount stolen in 2023, and also accounted for the largest share of global hackers in 2024. Customers stole 61% of the total.

Global hacker attack: Neither DeFi nor centralized services can escape

According to Chainalysis’s latest report, global hackers stole a total of $2.2 billion in crypto assets in 2024. Although it increased by 21% from 2023, it was far lower than the $3.7 billion in 2022. In 2024, hackers’ attack targets have changed:

  • Season 1: DeFi platforms are the main victims, with hackers stealing crypto assets through smart contract vulnerabilities.

  • Seasons 2 and 3: Centralized exchanges (CEX) become prime targets for hackers.

    • September: About $44 million was stolen from crypto exchange BingX by hackers.

    • July: Indian exchange WazirX was hacked, causing losses of up to $235 million, becoming one of the costliest hacking incidents in 2024.

In 2024, global hackers stole a total of $2.2 billion in crypto assets. The amount of money stolen by North Korean hackers is growing rapidly, and large-scale attacks have increased significantly.

The report stated that in global hacking attacks in 2024, North Korean hackers alone accounted for 61% of the total global hacker theft, approximately US$1.3 billion, twice the amount stolen in 2023.

North Korean hackers account for 61% of global hacking attacks

There has been a significant increase in the number of North Korean hackers stealing more than $50 million in a single attack, with several attacks even exceeding $100 million. Compared with 2023, when most attacks were only under $50 million, data from 2024 shows that North Korean hackers have improved their ability to attack a wide range of attacks and gradually targeted higher-value crypto assets.

North Korean hackers have seen an increase in attacks costing more than $100 million each. North Korea’s decline in hacker attacks may be due to political factors

Although the overall theft amount hit a new high, there was a significant decrease in attacks by North Korean hackers after July 2024, which may be related to North Korea's deepening political and military cooperation with Russia.

The report stated that in late June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un held a summit in Pyongyang and signed a mutual defense agreement that also released millions of dollars in North Korean assets frozen by the United Nations. At the same time, North Korea has deployed troops to Ukraine and provided military missiles to Russia.

The report also compared the amount stolen by North Korean hacking attacks before and after July 1, 2024, and it can be seen that the amount stolen has decreased significantly. In other words, the amount stolen by North Korean hackers dropped by about 53.73% after the summit, so cooperation between North Korea and Russia may also change North Korea's own hacking operations.

Changes in the amount stolen through hacking attacks before and after cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Hacker threats still cannot be ignored

Although North Korean hackers were quite active in their attacks in 2024, the total amount stolen by global hackers has not exceeded the historical record of $3.7 billion in 2022. But these data also warn everyone once again that both DeFi platforms and centralized exchanges (CEX) need to continue to strengthen security mechanisms to prevent growing hacker attacks.

Record theft of crypto assets remains high in 2022.

(South Korean country investigation: The theft of 340,000 ETH from Upbit exchange is related to North Korean hackers)

This article Global hackers stole US$2.2 billion in crypto assets in 2024: North Korea occupies US$1.3 billion, growing 2 times year-on-year to become the world’s largest threat. First appeared on Chain News ABMedia.