North Korean Operatives Steal Over $500 Million from DeFi Platforms in Three Weeks

North Korean-linked operatives have reportedly stolen more than $500 million from decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms in less than three weeks, raising the regime's estimated total crypto haul to $6.75 billion. According to NS3.AI, LayerZero reported that the April 18 KelpDAO exploit resulted in losses of approximately $290 million, with preliminary forensic analysis suggesting involvement from TraderTraitor within the Lazarus Group. Additionally, Drift Protocol suffered an estimated $286 million loss on April 1, with Elliptic noting that the laundering patterns of the exploit matched established attack vectors associated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The Ketman Project has indicated that around 100 North Korean operatives are embedded within blockchain companies.