North Korean Crypto Hackers Have Stolen $3B Since 2017, Says UN Security Council: Report

North Korea-linked cryptocurrency hacks totaled $3 billion between 2017 and 2023, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Thursday, citing a United Nations (UN) Security Council study.

A UN Security Council panel is investigating 17 crypto heists in 2023, for which North Korea may have been responsible, which were valued at more than $750 million, the report added.

There were a total of 58 suspected cyberattacks on crypto-linked firms between 2017 and 2023, according to the report. The report said that North Korea derives around 50% of its foreign currency income from cyber attacks, which is used to fund its weapons programs.

North Korea has been targeting the crypto industry as a means of evading sanctions, the report said, branding the country “the world’s most prolific cyber-thief.”

In December, cybersecurity firm Recorded Future also calculated that $3 billion in cryptocurrency had been stolen in the last six years by North Korea-linked hacker organization Lazarus Group.