Want to hear a big number? How about $3.8 billion. That’s the amount of crypto that hackers managed to steal last year. That’s a new record. The company behind that report, Chainalysis, also found that one specific hacking group was responsible for a huge chunk of that stolen crypto. If you guessed that hacking group was Lazarus, connected to North Korea, you’d be correct.

Lazarus allegedly stole $1.7bn in 2022, compared with only $400 million worth of crypto the year before. It further solidifies the notion that North Koreans are likely using the cryptocurrency sector as a way to raise funds in the face of international sanctions. But what does all of this mean for the crypto market? And what can we do to prevent more hacks from happening?

Bloomberg reporter Jeff Stone joins this episode.

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2022 Was a Good Year for Crypto Hackers