DPRK hackers made a record number of attacks on crypto projects in 2023

Chainalysis noted that attackers are gradually losing interest in DeFi protocols

25.01.2024 - 08:18

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What’s new? In 2023, hacker groups affiliated with the North Korean government, such as Lazarus and Kimsuky, carried out 20 attacks on cryptocurrency projects, which was a record for the entire history of observations since 2016, experts from the analytical company Chainalysis reported. The damage in this case amounted to just over $1 billion, this amount is less than the record set at the end of 2022. At the same time, the company noted that the number of attacks on decentralized financial protocols (DeFi) has significantly decreased over the past year.

Chainalysis’ report

What else is known? Of the more than $1 billion in DeFi protocol hacks, DPRK hackers received $428,8 million. Crypto exchanges ($330,9 million), centralized services ($150 million), and crypto wallet providers ($127 million) were also affected. In general, Chainalysis noted an increasing trend in the number of attacks from North Korean attackers.

At the end of last year, Immunefi platform experts also noted an increased interest of Lazarus hackers in centralized projects. Between June and September, the group attacked wallet provider Atomic Wallet, payment system Alphapo, batting platform Stake com, and exchanges CoinsPaid and CoinEx, earning $308,6 million.

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In late November, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on crypto mixer Sinbad. It was actively used by Lazarus members to launder funds, including the $625 million stolen from Axie Infinity — the March 2022 hack is still the largest in industry history.

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