The G7 declares war on North Korean hackers: cryptocurrency thefts have reached $2 billion
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) nations made a strong statement at the summit in Évian: efforts must be united to combat cryptocurrency thefts and cyberattacks originating from North Korea. The final document particularly emphasizes that these crimes directly threaten global financial stability and national security.
However, despite the rhetoric, no specific measures regarding the crypto industry were proposed. The focus is on general coordination between intelligence agencies and law enforcement. Pyongyang continues to use digital assets as a tool to bypass sanctions and finance its nuclear and missile programs, causing serious concern in the West.
Scale of the Threat: The Numbers Speak for Themselves
Analysts from Chainalysis confirm that 2025 was a record year for North Korean hacker groups. During this period, they stole $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency — 51% more than in 2024. The total volume of stolen assets over recent years has already exceeded $6.75 billion.
This involves not only exchange hacks but also sophisticated phishing attacks and the compromise of DeFi protocols. North Korea has turned cryptocurrency theft into one of its main sources of illegal income.
My comment: The G7 statements are an important signal, but without concrete actions, such as freezing assets on centralized platforms or introducing mandatory verification for all transactions above a certain threshold, we risk merely watching these numbers grow. North Korean hackers operate faster and more cunningly than regulators. While the international community discusses, the money is already gone.