A joint report by the United States, Japan, and South Korea has revealed that North Korean hackers, Lazarus Group, stole $659 million in cryptocurrency through multiple heists in 2024.
One major incident included the theft of $235 million from the Indian crypto exchange WazirX, now attributed to Lazarus. Japan’s DMM Bitcoin suffered the largest loss, with hackers stealing $308 million, forcing the exchange to shut down operations entirely. These attacks are part of Lazarus Group’s history of large-scale crypto thefts, including the $625 million stolen from Axie Infinity in 2022.
The report also warns of North Korea’s advanced hacking techniques. In 2024, the U.S. observed North Korean attackers using malware like TraderTraitor and AppleJeus, often delivered through clever social engineering tactics. Hackers used fake job offers, business opportunities, and phishing emails that impersonated trusted contacts, complete with realistic photos and details taken from social media.
