By Fatma Younis
North Korea's cryptocurrency thefts generate half of its foreign currency income and fund its nuclear weapons programme, according to UN experts.
Record $6.3bn Binance hack attributed to North Korean group
Experts attribute the $6.3bn Binance hack to TraderTraitor, also known as the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking unit. The theft is the largest in history.
UN panel details scale of cyber attacks
A UN panel reported 58 suspected cyber attacks on crypto companies between 2017 and 2023 worth $3bn, generating half of North Korea's foreign currency income. One unnamed country estimated stolen funds finance 40% of weapons of mass destruction programmes.
Crypto sector targeted due to weaker defences
Former UK cyber security chief Ciaran Martin says hackers have stolen nine- or ten-figure sums from crypto exchanges over 30 times in a decade, while traditional banks have suffered almost no such losses. North Korea previously attempted a $951m bank heist in 2016.
State-backed hacking programme recruits top students
North Korea recruits top university students into hacker groups under its Reconnaissance General Bureau. Internet access is restricted for the general population, but maths and science education feeds the programme.
History of cyber attacks includes Sony Pictures hack
The Lazarus Group also hacked Sony Pictures in 2014 over a film depicting Kim Jong-un's assassination, leaking emails and causing chaos.
