WASHINGTON: North Korean hackers stole around $400 million worth of cryptocurrency through cyberattacks on digital currency outlets last year, blockchain data platform Chainalysis said on Thursday.

Pyongyang is under multiple international sanctions over its atomic bomb and ballistic missile developments but analysts say the North has also built up its cyber capabilities with an army of thousands of well-trained hackers who extract finances to fund the state’s weapons programs.

In 2021, the hackers launched seven attacks on crypto platforms, extracting assets from “internet-connected ‘hot’ wallets” and moving them to North Korean controlled accounts, according to Chainalysis.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2022