When you hear about a crypto exchange getting hacked for hundreds of millions, it’s often not some lone hacker in a basement—it’s the Lazarus Group, a state-sponsored cybercrime unit tied to North Korea that specializes in stealing cryptocurrency through highly coordinated, long-term attacks. Also known as APT38, this group has been quietly running one of the most successful digital heist operations in history. Unlike random scammers who phishing wallets, Lazarus Group operates like a military unit: patient, well-funded, and focused on high-value targets.
They don’t just break in and run. They study systems for months, plant backdoors, and wait for the perfect moment to strike. Their biggest hits include the $620 million Ronin Network breach in 2022 and the $100 million Poly Network exploit. They’ve targeted exchanges like Binance, KuCoin, and even decentralized protocols. Their goal? Not just money—they want to fund North Korea’s weapons programs. And they’re getting better at it. The group has evolved from simple phishing to exploiting smart contract flaws, manipulating liquidity pools, and even hacking crypto developers directly.
What makes Lazarus Group dangerous isn’t just their skill—it’s their resources. They have access to nation-state tools, insider intelligence, and a global network of money launderers who turn stolen crypto into cash through mixers, P2P platforms, and fake NFT sales. They’ve even used fake job postings to recruit developers who unknowingly build backdoors into blockchain projects. You won’t find them on Telegram or Twitter—they don’t need to. Their attacks are silent, precise, and often go unnoticed until the funds are gone.
And here’s the scary part: they’re not slowing down. In 2024 alone, over $1.7 billion in crypto was stolen by groups linked to Lazarus, according to blockchain forensics firms. Many of these attacks hit smaller exchanges and DeFi protocols that lack the security budgets of giants like Coinbase or Binance. Even NFT marketplaces aren’t safe—Lazarus has been caught laundering stolen NFTs through fake listings and wash trading.
So how do you stay safe? If you’re a trader, use hardware wallets. Never connect your wallet to unknown sites. Avoid unverified airdrops and fake support accounts. If you run a project, audit your code, monitor unusual transactions, and use multi-sig wallets. And if you see a crypto project suddenly getting a surge of trading volume with no real news? It might not be hype—it might be Lazarus moving stolen funds.
The posts below dive into real cases where hackers used the same tactics Lazarus Group favors: fake exchanges like CDAX, manipulated airdrops like XSUTER and MoMo KEY, and scam tokens with zero liquidity that look like real projects. These aren’t random scams—they’re the same playbook, just scaled down. Understanding Lazarus Group isn’t about fear—it’s about recognizing the patterns so you don’t become the next target.
The Lazarus Group, backed by North Korea, has stolen over $2 billion in cryptocurrency since 2022 using advanced social engineering and frontend manipulation. Their heists target human trust, not code - making even multi-signature wallets vulnerable.
