North Korea-linked hackers have stolen hundreds of millions of crypto to fund the regime’s nuclear weapons programs, research shows. So far this year, from January to Aug. 18, North Korea-affiliated hackers stole $200 million worth of crypto — accounting for over 20% of all stolen crypto this year, according to blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs. “In recent years, there has been a marked rise in the size and scale of cyber attacks against cryptocurrency-related businesses by North Korea. This has coincided with an apparent acceleration in the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” said TRM Labs in a June discussion with North Korea experts. In that discussion, TRM Labs said there has been a pivot away from North Korea’s “traditional revenue-generating activities” — an indication that the regime may be “increasingly turning to cyber attacks to fund its weapons proliferation activity.” Separately, blockchain analytics company Chainalysis said in a February report that “most experts agree the North Korean government is using these stolen assets to fund its nuclear weapons programs.” The Permanent Mission of North Korea to the United Nations in New York, a diplomatic mission of the regime to the UN, did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. Since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006, the United Nations has slapped multiple sanctions on the reclusive regime — known formally as DPRK, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Full report : North Korean hackers have allegedly stolen hundreds of millions in crypto to fund nuclear programs.
