G7 leaders may discuss North Korea’s cyber attacks and crypto thefts, such as with the Lazarus Group, as part of their upcoming meeting in Canada next month. According to a Bloomberg source, the G7 meetings will most likely focus on armed conflicts across the globe, but will also focus on North Korea’s hacking exploits. Lazarus Group, in particular, has increased its attacks and has pulled off massive crypto hacks. The global community will no longer be able to ignore the threat and may have to make a response. North Korea’s hacking activities concern G7 countries because the stolen crypto is being used to fund nefarious activities. Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister, will host this year’s event at Kananaskis, Alberta, between June 15 and 17. The G7 is an organisation that brings together seven of the world’s most advanced economies, including Germany, Japan, Italy, France, the UK, the US, and Canada. North Korea-affiliated hackers hacked the Bybit exchange for $1.5 billion in crypto just this year alone. They were also responsible for hacking $1.34 billion in digital asset projects in 2024, distributed over 47 different attacks. The G7 would find it difficult to ignore such large-scale attacks that benefit one country, particularly one that is stockpiling nuclear weapons. The G7 has focused on North Korea before, with concern over its nuclear weapons, and will most likely address the growing threat of nuclear proliferation again, with a new focus on crypto hacks. The attacks are also increasing because 2023 only saw $661 million over 20 incidents, a much smaller than 2024 and 2025. North Korea has been very prosperous with its funding efforts, not only with its alleged hacking activities, but also with its employment schemes, such as with workers infiltrating Western crypto businesses and sending the proceeds back to North Korea. Just recently, Kraken caught a North Korean operative trying to infiltrate their exchange with false identity details and a computer setup to disguise his location. Lazarus Group, the main hacking collective associated with North Korea’s activities, has increased its sophistication, from simple exploits to large-scale social engineering campaigns. One of the latest campaigns that the G7 will be interested in is the large-scale infiltration of labour markets, such as with startups in the US, China, and Russia. North Korean IT workers can use legitimate means of employment to make an income and then fund military activities back in North Korea. The G7 will most likely focus on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The added caveat this year includes North Korea providing military support to Russia. North Korea’s hacking activities, therefore, could be used to extend wars that the G7 disagree with and could find a further use of crypto to bypass sanctions and render the G7’s efforts ineffective. North Korea’s hacking exploits could have been easy to ignore in the past. Still, with crypto losses reaching the billions, the G7 may find it difficult to ignore the security breaches anymore.
