Report: 61% of stolen cryptocurrency in 2024 was attributed to hackers linked to North Korea, involving an amount valued at $1.34 billion

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Techcrunch, the Chainalysis report released on Thursday shows that the total value of stolen cryptocurrency has surged by 21% this year, reaching $2.2 billion, with over half of the amount stolen by hacker groups linked to North Korea. In 2024, North Korean-linked hackers stole 61% of the total amount stolen that year in 47 cases, worth $1.34 billion; in 2023, they stole $660.5 million in 20 cases, and in 2022, they stole $400 million. This indicates that they are increasingly involved in these attacks.

The report emphasizes that most cryptocurrency hacking incidents this year occurred from January to July, with the amount stolen exceeding $1.58 billion, approximately 84.4% higher than the same period in 2023. After July, the upward trend significantly slowed down, which is markedly different from 2021 and 2022, possibly due to geopolitical issues. Chainalysis attributes the stagnation in the number of hacks after July to the alliance between North Korea and Russia, which emerged after the meeting between Russian President Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June. Since the June summit, the amount of cryptocurrency assets stolen by North Korea has decreased by 53.73%. As cooperation between North Korea and Russia strengthens, North Korea may change its cybercrime tactics.