North Korean leader Kim Jong Un leads a party meeting on strengthening the military, in this photograph released by the Korean Central News Agency on May 30, 2025. KCNA via Reuters
Hackers linked to North Korea have stolen more than $2 billion worth of cryptoassets in the first nine months of 2025, already marking the largest annual total on record, blockchain analytics company Elliptic said in an Oct. 7 analysis.
The company said this brings the cumulative known value of cryptoassets stolen by the regime to more than $6 billion. According to the United Nations and various government agencies, these funds are believed to play a “critical role in financing North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile development programs,” Elliptic added.
