Think North Korea is all about secret missile silos and old bronze statues? Think again. The country’s “IT enthusiasts” otherwise known as black-hat hackers are rewriting the book on heists, one Bitcoin wallet at a time. According to researchers, these digital Robin Hoods (minus the giving-to-the-poor bit) have boosted more than $2 billion in crypto from unsuspecting folks in 2025 alone. That’s 13% of their GDP! To put that in perspective, imagine if your neighbor’s teenage son with a gaming laptop could single-handedly fund your country’s entire space program. That’s North Korea right now.

New Targets: Sorry Exchanges, Now It's Your Turn, Rich Nerds

Once upon a time, Hank the Hacker only went after grand digital Fort Knoxes-crypto exchanges. Now? Hank’s got bored. “Too many firewalls,” he grumbles, eating instant ramen. So, the cyber kings of Pyongyang have set their sights on wealthy individuals. You. Yes, you! If you’ve ever humbly posted your NFT collection on Twitter, beware: North Korean hacker may be coming for your treasured pixelated punk next.

Dr. Tom Robinson from Elliptic, who knows more about wallet addresses than most of us know about our own bank accounts, suspects the hacks on individuals are even more widespread than reported. Why? Because nobody wants to call the police and admit they fell for a “Download our new wallet app!” email.

Weapons on the Blockchain: Funding With A Click

It’s all fun and games until you realize North Korea is funneling your Litecoin losses into, say, a new rocket prototype. Western agencies are less than amused, but the hackers don’t seem to mind. For them, crypto is the world’s fastest-growing fund-me platform… except with way more hacking and way fewer heartwarming stories.

Track That Loot-CSI: Bitcoin Edition

Blockchain whizzes at places like Elliptic and Chainalysis have become like the Scooby Doo gang of crypto crime: “Looks like those pesky Lazarus kids are at it again!” From the ByBit hack ($1.4 billion, one click, no warranty) to an unfortunate bloke losing $100 million in a single swoop-these cyber criminals are putting Hollywood heists to shame. And let’s not forget “WOO X,” which sounds like a DJ but was actually robbed, along with more than 30 other digital joints just this year.

Bonus Side Hustle: North Korea’s Fake IT Gurus

Just hacking not enough? These folks are also pulling off massive fake IT worker scams-posing as remote developers, working for real companies by day, swiping secrets by night. Who says you can’t have multiple gigs?

The Takeaway: Secure Your Wallets, Folks

Here’s a tip: if your password is “password123,” North Korean hackers just high-fived. Beef up your security, hold your coins close, and double-check those emails before you click. Because as long as there are blockchains to rob and digital wallets to swipe, North Korea’s Ocean’s Eleven aren’t retiring anytime soon and they’re definitely not spending their winnings on Lamborghini or avocado toast.