{
  "id": 10421962,
  "title": "North Korean hackers suspected in €332.8m crypto heist as it leads global hacks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/north-korean-hackers-suspected-in-332-8m-crypto-heist-as-it-leads",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-28T10:06:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euronews",
    "slug": "euronews",
    "url": "https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/28/north-korean-hackers-suspected-in-3328m-crypto-heist-as-it-leads-global-hacks"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "North Korean hackers are believed to have stolen $387.5 million (€332.8 million) worth of cryptocurrency from the major global exchange Bitget. This represents the largest crypto heist of the year so far. Bitget detected unauthorized transfers from some of its hot and warm wallets on Thursday. Hot wallets facilitate quick transactions via internet connectivity, whereas warm wallets have more limited online access. The company's cold wallets, which are kept better isolated, remained unaffected. CEO Gracy Chen mentioned that IP addresses using VPNs matching those of a North Korean group were identified, indicating a very likely North Korean connection. The attackers did not obtain the private keys to directly access Bitget's hot, warm, or cold wallets. Instead, they exploited an internal system and entered false transaction information to make fraudulent transfers appear legitimate. Bitget's user protection fund, which held over $464 million at the time of the attack, is sufficient to cover the loss. However, the company temporarily suspended withdrawals for precautionary measures while investigating the breach. Law enforcement and security firms are assisting in the investigation and tracing the stolen funds. TRM Labs reported this as the largest cryptocurrency theft so far in 2025. North Korea has a history of cyber attacks, with the US Treasury Department linking the country to large-scale virtual asset thefts used to fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. In February 2025, North Korean hackers stole approximately $1.5 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit. Despite North Korea's advanced cyber capabilities, ordinary citizens have limited access to the global internet due to strict government controls.",
  "summary": "North Korea, one of the world’s most closed-off countries, has been linked to some of this year’s largest cryptocurrency thefts. Proceeds from such attacks help fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes, according to the US government.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}