How North Korea's 6-month long secret espionage program has crypto community rethinking security

What Happened

North Korean operatives conducted a six-month infiltration campaign targeting Drift protocol, resulting in a $270 million exploit. Rather than exploiting code vulnerabilities, attackers built trust through fake identities, in-person meetings across multiple countries, and deposited funds to establish credibility. Security experts now characterize this as an intelligence operation, not a traditional hack. The incident has prompted DeFi protocols to expand security beyond code audits to include operational security, governance, and personnel vetting.

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