The Group of Seven declares war on North Korean hackers: $2 billion stolen in 2025 alone
Leaders of the G7 countries adopted a tough statement at a recent summit in Évian targeting cyber threats originating from North Korea. The focus was on large-scale cryptocurrency thefts that Pyongyang uses to finance its nuclear and missile programs. Although no separate package of measures for the crypto sector is provided, the very fact of such a statement at the highest level sends a powerful signal to the market.
According to my own calculations based on data from the analytical platform Chainalysis, the situation is indeed critical. In 2025, hacker groups affiliated with North Korea stole $2.02 billion in digital assets. This is 51% more than the previous year. The total volume of stolen funds over the entire observation period has already exceeded $6.75 billion.
This trend indicates that North Korean hackers have not just become more active—they have turned hacks of DeFi protocols and centralized exchanges into a highly efficient business. Their methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated, ranging from phishing to social engineering and exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities.
My assessment: the G7 statement is the first step toward forming a global system of cyber protection for cryptocurrency infrastructure. However, without specific sanctions against mixers and bridges, which are actively used to launder stolen funds, the effectiveness of these measures will remain in question. The market should prepare for tighter regulatory oversight.