Norway Seizes $5.8 Million in Crypto Stolen by North Korea

Norwegian authorities announced they had seized a record $5.8 million worth of cryptocurrencies stolen by North Korean hackers in 2022.

Reuters reports the Norwegian police said in a statement on Thursday it seized million worth of crypto stolen by North Korean hackers last year. In March 2020, North Korean hackers stole $625 million from the Ronin Network, a blockchain linked to Axie Infinity – one of the largest heists on record. The United States linked the Ronin hack to an infamous North Korean hacking group dubbed “Lazarus.”

Norway’s senior public prosecutor, Marianne Bender, said in a statement:

This is money that can be used to finance the North Korean regime and their nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea continues to deny allegations of its involvement in hacking and other cybercrime.

2022 The Worst Year on Record for Crypto Hacks

According to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, last year was the worst year on record for cryptocurrency heists, with hackers making off with over $3.8 billion. The hacks were led by attackers linked to North Korea.

1/ After four hacks yesterday, October is now the biggest month in the biggest year ever for hacking activity, with more than half the month still to go. So far this month, $718 million has been stolen from #DeFi protocols across 11 different hacks. pic.twitter.com/emz36f6gpK

— Chainalysis (@chainalysis) October 12, 2022

Okokrim, Norway’s national economic crime unit, said it seized 60 million Norwegian crown, or $5.84 million, in “one of the largest seizures of money ever made in Norway” and a record amount for a crypto seizure. Okokrim said it collaborated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s crypto-tracking specialists to execute the seizure.

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