Crypto Heists & North Korea’s Lazarus Group

✍️ Written & reviewed by Karel HavlíčekUpdated 2026🛡️ Editorially independent

Quick Answer

Crypto’s biggest thefts are stranger than fiction — and one state actor, North Korea’s Lazarus Group, now accounts for the majority of stolen funds. These guides document the biggest heists, explain how they happened, and show exactly how to keep your own crypto safe.

The Biggest Crypto Heists of All Time

8 min

Crypto’s short history is studded with thefts so large they read like heist movies. The biggest single theft ever — the 2026 Bybit hack — moved $1.5 billion in minutes. Here are the largest crypto heists ranked, who was behind them, and the hard safety lessons each one taught.

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How North Korea Steals Crypto (Lazarus Group)

9 min

One of the most prolific thieves in financial history is not a person or a gang — it is a nation-state. North Korea’s state-backed Lazarus Group has stolen more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency since 2017, and in 2026 accounted for an estimated 76% of all crypto stolen worldwide. The UN says the money funds the regime’s weapons and missile programs.

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The Bybit Hack Explained

8 min

In February 2026, attackers drained roughly $1.5 billion from the crypto exchange Bybit in a matter of minutes — the single largest theft in crypto history. The most chilling part: Bybit’s own staff approved it, believing they were signing a routine transfer. Here is exactly how it happened.

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How Stolen Crypto Is Laundered

7 min

Stealing crypto is only half the job — thieves still have to turn traceable, "marked" coins into usable money. This is where blockchain’s greatest strength becomes the launderer’s biggest problem: every move is recorded forever, in public.

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How Lazarus Tricks Victims: The Fake-Job Playbook

7 min

The most dangerous tool in North Korea’s crypto-theft arsenal isn’t code — it’s a friendly recruiter sliding into your DMs with a dream job. Lazarus has stolen hundreds of millions by exploiting human trust, and crypto and tech workers are the prime targets.

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How to Protect Your Crypto from Hackers

7 min

The billion-dollar heists make headlines, but most people lose crypto to far simpler attacks — phishing, leaked seed phrases, and leaving funds on a hacked exchange. The good news: a handful of habits stop almost all of it. Here is the practical checklist.

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Don’t become the next victim.

Exchanges get hacked; your own hardware wallet doesn’t have a billion-dollar target on it. Take your keys off the exchange.