When you hear about a crypto exchange getting hacked for hundreds of millions of dollars, there’s a good chance the Lazarus Group, a North Korean state-sponsored cyberwarfare unit known for large-scale financial attacks. Also known as APT38, it doesn’t operate like typical hackers—it’s a well-funded, disciplined team with direct ties to Pyongyang’s military intelligence. This isn’t random theft. It’s economic warfare. While most cybercriminals chase quick cash, Lazarus Group steals to fund a nation’s nuclear program. Their targets? Exchanges, DeFi protocols, and even cryptocurrency miners—all to turn digital assets into hard currency.
They don’t need fancy zero-day exploits. They use social engineering, phishing, and stolen credentials to get inside networks. Once in, they move slowly, quietly draining wallets over weeks. In 2022, they stole $625 million from Axie Infinity’s Ronin Bridge. In 2024, they hit a South Korean crypto firm for $400 million. These aren’t one-off events. They’re part of a pattern. The group also uses fake airdrops and cloned websites to trap unsuspecting users. And while the world talks about ransomware gangs, Lazarus Group operates on a different level: they’re backed by a government that doesn’t care about international law.
What makes them dangerous isn’t just the money they steal—it’s what they teach others. Their tools, techniques, and infrastructure get copied by criminal groups worldwide. Their success proves that even the most secure blockchains can be broken if the human layer is weak. And while regulators in the U.S., UK, and South Korea have sanctioned them, enforcement is nearly impossible. North Korea doesn’t recognize international financial systems, so freezing assets doesn’t work. The only defense? Better security practices, multi-sig wallets, and skepticism toward suspicious token launches. If you’re trading crypto, you’re already in their crosshairs. The posts below break down how they operate, which exchanges they’ve hit, what red flags to watch for, and how to protect yourself before it’s too late.
North Korea has stolen over $2 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025 alone, funding its weapons programs through cyber heists. A new 11-nation coalition, the MSMT, is fighting back with blockchain forensics, but gaps in global cooperation still leave the system vulnerable.
Continue Reading
