A secret United Nations report revealed that North Korea's famous cybercrime group, the Lazarus Group, transferred millions of stolen cryptocurrencies to the Asian country last year. 🕵️‍♂️💰

In March 2023, these North Korean hackers wrongfully stole $147.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from HTX, a cryptocurrency exchange owned by TRON founder Justin Sun. A year later, they transferred these funds to the isolated country using the sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash.

According to a report submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions committee, auditors examined 97 suspected North Korean cyberattacks on cryptocurrency firms between 2017 and 2024, pegging the value of these attacks at approximately $3.6 billion.

In 2023, the blockchain analysis firm estimated that the total stolen cryptocurrency was just over $1 billion. In particular, North Korean hackers focused on DeFi, stealing approximately $429 million in the process. They also targeted centralized services, exchanges, and wallet providers, from which they stole $150 million, $330.9 million, and $127 million, respectively.