Security experts: North Korea's "public" theft of crypto assets has become a means of financing.

ME News Report, April 12 (UTC+8), as infiltration and attacks targeting the crypto industry continue to escalate, security experts point out that the core difference between North Korean hackers and hackers from other countries is: cryptocurrency assets have become an important direct funding source for maintaining the country’s military expenses. According to reports, during a recent months-long infiltration operation against Drift Protocol, North Korean hackers once again caused a shock in the industry. Experts state that this mode is not merely a “fund transfer tool,” but a direct “plundering profit” used to bypass international sanctions and obtain immediate hard currency funds. Security researchers note that, unlike Russia, Iran, and other countries, North Korea almost lacks sustainable external economic and commodity export capabilities, thus relying more on crypto theft as a core income source to support nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Experts also emphasize that North Korean hacker targets have expanded from simple phishing to exchanges, wallet services, and key permission holders of DeFi protocols, generally employing long-term social engineering and identity disguise infiltration methods. Due to the blockchain transaction characteristic that “once confirmed, it cannot be reversed,” the crypto industry is far weaker than traditional financial systems in terms of fund freezing and recovery, making such attacks more destructive in speed and scale. Security personnel warn that this type of “long-term lurking + precise seizure” attack mode has not yet been effectively addressed by the industry. (Source: ChainCatcher)