Ethereum Foundation Identifies 100 DPRK-Linked Workers in Crypto Projects, Uncovering a $2B Threat

North Korean hackers stole $285 million from Drift Protocol this month in a months-long social engineering attack. The Ethereum Foundation, through its ETH Rangers Program, has been tracking the infiltration of North Korean workers into crypto projects, identifying 100 individuals linked to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea across 53 projects. These workers are part of a broader UN-estimated 3,000 to 10,000 IT professionals deployed by the DPRK overseas. In 2023, North Korean hackers stole a record $2 billion in crypto, a 51% increase from the previous year. The Ethereum Foundation’s program helped freeze hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit crypto by identifying and notifying vulnerable teams. The DOJ recently sentenced two U.S. nationals to at least seven years for helping DPRK workers pose as Americans to access 100 companies.