The G7 declares war on North Korean hackers: the crypto market under attack
Leaders of the G7 made a loud statement: cryptocurrency thefts carried out with the support of North Korea require an immediate and coordinated response. At the summit in Évian, where global threats are traditionally discussed, North Korean cyberattacks were for the first time highlighted as a separate agenda item. The final document emphasizes that Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and its hacking activities are two sides of the same coin, yet no specific mechanisms for protecting the crypto industry were proposed.
The situation in the digital asset market is indeed alarming. According to the latest data from the analytical platform Chainalysis, hacker groups affiliated with North Korea stole $2.02 billion worth of cryptocurrency in 2025. This is 51% more than in the previous year. The total amount of stolen funds since the start of monitoring has already exceeded $6.75 billion. These figures are not just statistics but a signal of the systemic vulnerability of the entire crypto ecosystem.
My expert opinion: While the G7 limits itself to declarations, North Korean hackers are perfecting money laundering tools through mixers and decentralized exchanges. Without the implementation of mandatory security protocols at the exchange level and the strengthening of international intelligence sharing, we risk seeing new records of thefts as early as 2026. It's time for the crypto community to move from words to action—otherwise, the "North Korean factor" will become a constant headache for all market participants.