North Korean hackers made 2025 into their crypto hacking year, hacked more than $2.02 billion in different cryptocurrencies from top international crypto trading plateforms and DeFi protocols. Top Blockchain analytics firms reported that this hacking belongs to Pyongyang based Lazarus grou isp that responsible for more than billion of crypto thefts in 2025.
Top Tier Exchange Bybit alone lost $1.5 Billion Overnight
on 21 February 2025 Dubai-based top trading exchange Bybit lost $1.5 billion in Ethereum and tokens from thier hot wallets in less than hour one of the largest single hack ever. Reports founds that North Korean Lazarus Group was involved in it. Stole huge amount from hot wallet by fishing.
Bybit recovered $300 million via different protocols and crypto bridging from one chain to another chain and transferring freezes helped, but the rest 1.2B worth crypto were taken away by hackers. Hackers converted ETH-to-BTC swaps services, cross-chain bridges, and fake refund loops.
Lazarus group Evolvement in major hacking
North Korean cyber hacking army isn’t new, they’ve got first headlines in 2014 during Sony hack case. But 2025 was a golden for their hacking. Their limelight hacking comes in 2022 Ronin Bridge $600 million theft by smart contract bugs. They use Fake LinkedIn profiles to enter U.S. and Asian firms land as remote dev freelancing jobs.
Elliptic Research report says more than 30 Lazarus-attributed attacks done in 2025 affected Bybit, LND.fi, WOO X, Seedify, and many more. That worth $2.02 billion crypto tokens/coins, almost doubled 2024’s $1.3 billion theft. Jen Pearl of the Center for Strategic and International Studies says it is “a masterstroke” Isolated from global SWIFT, exchanges and trades.
N. Korean capital collecting Billions worth weapons, arms and Missiles againts the US/Canada
This Hackings caught the basic nerve of North Korean crypto theft total of almost $6.75 billion since 2019-20, that funds is used to purchase/manufacture long distance attacks ballistic missiles, dangerous nuclear weapons, drugs smuggling and luxury lifestyle of Dictator Kim. UN tried to add high sanctions against N. Korea pushed Korean Common citizens into poverty, reports shows wide range hunger and poverty in rural provinces of Korea, “Lazarus Group” hackers lives large, runs funds with hidden networks that skips global enforcement agencies.
News agency Reuters investigations exposed a key pipeline: stolen bitcoin and ethereum transferred via Cambodian casinos/smugglings and fake firms, where digital thefts converts into legal, hard cash via hidden fiat ways. These networks works in Southeast Asia’s lax regulatory shadows, involved with gambling and real estate investments to launder billions without tracking.