Washington, 23 October (H.S.): North Korea has illicitly amassed billions of dollars through sophisticated cybercrimes, including massive cryptocurrency heists and a global network of fraudulent IT workers, according to a detailed international report released on Wednesday.
The findings expose a large-scale operation orchestrated by Pyongyang to finance its prohibited nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, effectively bypassing extensive international sanctions .
The 138-page review, published by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, reveals that North Korean hackers have pilfered an estimated $2.84 billion in digital assets between January 2024 and September 2025 .
The theft in 2025 alone has reached a staggering $1.65 billion, marking it a record-breaking year for the regime’s cyber-enabled theft.
This includes one of the largest single cryptocurrency heists in history: the theft of $1.5 billion in Ethereum from the exchange Bybit earlier this year.
According to the report, North Korea’s cyber capabilities now rival those of China and Russia, but are uniquely focused on generating revenue for the government.
The country has deployed thousands of highly skilled IT professionals who operate under false identities to secure remote employment at foreign companies. These workers, sometimes holding multiple jobs simultaneously, funnel a significant portion of their salaries back to the North Korean government to support its weapons development .
The investigation details how Pyongyang leverages its cyber operatives to:Hack crypto exchanges: The report identifies several targeted exchanges, including Bybit in the UAE, DMM Bitcoin in Japan, and others in India and Singapore.
Launder stolen assets: A complex network involving Chinese nationals and financial systems, as well as Cambodian financial platforms, is used to launder the stolen cryptocurrency and convert it to cash.
Disrupt and steal data: Hackers deploy malware against foreign organizations to disrupt networks and steal sensitive information.
The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team—comprising the United States, South Korea, Japan, and eight other allied nations—was established in 2024 after Russia vetoed the mandate for a UN Security Council panel that had been monitoring Pyongyang’s activities.
The team’s report underscores that North Korea’s cyber operations have been directly linked to funding its weapons programs, endangering lives, and causing significant loss of private assets globally.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
