Share this article
North Korea Suspected Again in Crypto Exchange Attacks
South Korea's spy agency beileves a recent run of hacking attacks on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges is linked to North Korea.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:17 a.m. Published Dec 18, 2017, 2:00 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
South Korea's chief intelligence agency suspects that North Korean hackers are behind attacks on the country's most-trafficked bitcoin exchange.
According to a report this week by the BBC, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has officially passed evidence of the allegations to prosecutors that would affirm attacks on a Bithumb employee's home computer dating back to February amount to a kind of espionage.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Around 7.6 billion won ($6.99 million) worth of cryptocurrencies was stolen at the time, along with the personal information of some 30,000 people. First reported in July, the data leak is believed to have led to the draining of funds from an unknown number of accounts.
The BBC report goes on to state that the hackers demanded a ransom of 6 billion won ($5.5 million) in exchange for the destruction of leaked information.
Still, while investigations are ongoing, it's far from an isolated incident. In October, officials from South Korea's National Police Agency confirmed 25 employees at four different exchanges were targeted in 10 separate "spear phishing" attempts this year.
The NIS also suspects North Korea was involved in an attack on another South Korean cryptocurrency exchange, Coinis, in September, and believes both incidents may be part of a coordinated effort to avoid sanctions.
North Korean flag image via Shutterstock
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Silver nears $1 billion in volume on Hyperliquid as bitcoin remains frozen: Asia Morning Briefing
Silver perps have more volume on Hyperliquid than SOL or XRP.
What to know:
- Silver futures on the Hyperliquid crypto derivatives exchange have surged to become one of its most active markets, ranking just behind bitcoin and ether in trading volume.
- The SILVER-USDC contract’s high volume, sizable open interest and slightly negative funding suggest traders are using crypto infrastructure for volatility and hedging in macro commodities rather than for directional crypto bets.
- Bitcoin is holding near $88,000 in a "defensive equilibrium" with cooling ETF inflows, uneven derivatives positioning and rising demand for downside protection, while ether lags and capital rotates toward hard assets like gold and silver.
Top Stories
