I came across some interesting information about these coordinated cyberattacks that continue to make headlines. There are three North Korean hackers in particular, including Park Jin Hyok, who are at the center of a series of truly impressive cybercriminal operations in terms of scale.

These guys are part of the Lazarus group, directly linked to North Korean intelligence services. What’s crazy is that they have stolen around $1.3 billion in total through various attacks. It’s not just classic hacking; it’s a coordinated strategy to fund the regime despite sanctions.

What struck me is the scope of their operations. In 2017, they launched WannaCry, the ransomware that infected 200,000 computers in 150 countries. Imagine the panic. Files were encrypted, people had to pay in Bitcoin. It was organized chaos.

But before that, in 2014, they already showed what they were capable of. Sony Pictures was hacked in retaliation for the film The Interview. Confidential data was compromised, operations were paralyzed.

What intrigues me most is how Park Jin Hyok and his accomplices targeted cryptocurrency exchanges between 2017 and 2021. They hacked Coincheck in 2018 for $534 million, then in 2022 they hit even harder with the theft of $620 million from Axie Infinity and Ronin Bridge. It’s like they found their specialty.

In 2016, there was an attempt against the Bangladesh Bank. They almost managed to steal $1 billion, but a simple spelling mistake in a fraudulent transaction raised suspicions. Almost perfect, except for that ridiculous detail.

U.S. authorities accuse them of electronic fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, and computer fraud. The FBI is actively searching for them. Their operations remain a major global threat, and honestly, this kind of threat shows why the security of crypto exchanges and financial systems must be taken seriously.