Lazarus Group: The Cyber Bandits Bleeding Crypto Dry with Billion Dollar Heists
Meet the Lazarus Group, North Korea’s shadowy cybercrew that’s turned hacking into a high stakes art form. Suspected puppets of Pyongyang, these digital desperados have swiped over $3 billion in the past decade, with their latest jaw dropper: a rumored $1.5 billion theft from crypto exchange Bybit in February 2025. If true, it’s the biggest crypto stick up ever, slashing Bybit’s market share in half and sending shockwaves through the blockchain world.
Their rap sheet reads like a Hollywood thriller. In 2016, they nabbed $81 million from Bangladesh Bank, slipping through the SWIFT system like ghosts. Fast forward to 2022, and they pulled off the $625 million Ronin Bridge heist, leaving Axie Infinity players reeling. Not satisfied, they hit Harmony Bridge for $100 million just months later. And who could forget WannaCry 2017, the ransomware rampage that locked up hospitals and banks worldwide? That’s them too.
Lazarus doesn’t mess around. Armed with zero day exploits, fake job scams, and slick laundering tricks (think Tornado Cash), they are a nightmare for crypto platforms and governments alike. Experts say their loot funds North Korea’s nukes, making every stolen Bitcoin a geopolitical jab. With Bybit still licking its wounds and $300 million already washed clean, the crypto crowd is on edge: who is next? One thing is for sure, these cyber outlaws are rewriting the rules, and they are not stopping anytime soon.
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