Record $3.8B Crypto Stolen In 2022 — And Kim Jong Un-Backed Hackers Were Behind Most Attacks: Chainalysis

Cybercriminals had a record-breaking year in 2022, stealing an estimated $3.8 billion in digital assets, according to a new report from blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis.

What Happened: The report states that cybercriminals made DeFi platforms their primary target in 2022, accounting for $3.1 billion over 82% of the total amount of cryptocurrency stolen.

Source: Chainalysis

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Over 64% of the funds stolen from DeFi protocols last year were taken by hackers through cross-chain bridges and blockchain infrastructures.

Source: Chainalysis

On a June day alone last year, hackers stole $100 million worth of cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum ETH/USD, Wrapped Bitcoin WBTC/USD and Binance Coin BNB/USD from the Horizon Bridge.

According to Chainalysis, 32 attacks were made in October, making the month the most successful for cryptocurrency hackers. 

The North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group was the main culprit in these attacks, taking an estimated $1.7 billion in crypto assets in 2022. 

Despite a record-breaking year for crypto cybercrime, U.S. law enforcement claimed major success in foiling North Korean-linked hackers. The authorities recovered approximately $30 million in stolen funds from these cyber criminals. 

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