US EditionThe long con: How North Korean spies spent months in-person to drain $285 million from Drift
TRM Labs said the group used months of social engineering and in-person contact to steal $285 million from Drift Protocol in 31 withdrawals.
- North Korean-linked groups are responsible for 76% of crypto losses in 2026, stealing about $577 million through April, according to a report from TRM Labs released Thursday.
- The Drift Protocol exploit on April 1 accounted for roughly $285 million in losses, an incident TRMLabs described as an "unprecedented in-person social engineering" attack.
- Attackers targeted KelpDAO on April 18, exploiting a LayerZero bridge vulnerability to drain about $292 million, a breach TRM Labs attributed to the North Korean-linked TraderTraitor group.
- After freezing around $75 million on Arbitrum, hackers converted roughly $175 million into Bitcoin, reinforcing THORChain's role as a consistent exit route for stolen assets.
- Experts now characterize these exploits as "standardised business operations," with Yajin Zhou of BlockSec noting that operational security is now equally critical as protocol code integrity.
14 Articles
14 Articles
North Korea Linked To More Than Three Quarters Of All Crypto Losses In 2026; Two Hacks Drain $577M
North Korean hackers were behind the majority of crypto losses in 2026 so far, with two high-value attacks carried out within weeks accounting for most of the damage, according to a new report.
The long con: How North Korean spies spent months in-person to drain $285 million from Drift
For the first time ever, North Korean hackers are carrying out in-person attacks on crypto and becoming faster and more sophisticated, says TRMLabs global head of policy.
North Korea’s Enormous Crypto Hacks Redefine Scale and Strategy
A pair of tightly executed cyberattacks have become milestones in cryptocurrency theft in 2026 due to their sheer size. These two incidents, targeting Drift Protocol and KelpDAO, account for roughly three quarters of all recorded crypto losses through April, revealing a shift toward fewer, higher-dollar operations. Based on a report from TRM Labs, security researchers.. The post North Korea’s Enormous Crypto Hacks Redefine Scale and Strategy app…
It has been revealed that North Korean hacking groups have led the majority of cryptocurrency hacking damages this year. In a report released on April 30, U.S. blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs stated that approximately 76% of the hacking damages that occurred from the beginning of the year through April stemmed from attacks linked to North Korea.
North Korean Cyber Warfare: The $577 Million Crypto Heist of Early 2026
A comprehensive investigative report released by the blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has revealed a staggering escalation in state-sponsored cybercrime, confirming that North Korean hackers have successfully stolen approximately $577 million in cryptocurrency during the first four months of 2026. This figure is particularly alarming as it represents roughly 76% of all global losses attributed to cryptocurrency hacks year-to-date, despite t…
The hackers linked to North Korea have become the big problem of the crypto sector this year. According to a report by the firm of analysis on-chain TRM Labs, the regime of Pionyang is behind 76% of the total value stolen in attacks on crypto platforms in what we have carried in 2026. In other words: three out of every four dollars that have disappeared in hacks of the sector have gone to the North Korean coffers. The biggest blow was the attack…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
