Why North Korea keeps stealing billions in crypto — out in the open

What Happened

North Korea targets cryptocurrency exchanges and DeFi protocols to generate hard currency for weapons programs, unlike Russia and Iran which use crypto for payment infrastructure. Security experts say North Korea's comprehensive international sanctions and non-functioning economy force the regime to steal directly from the blockchain. The country employs sophisticated tactics including months-long relationship building and fabricated identities to infiltrate crypto platforms, as demonstrated by the six-month Drift campaign.

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