North Korean spies spent months in-person to drain $285 million from Drift Protocol (coindesk.com)

• North Korean hackers account for 76% of 2026 crypto losses (~$600M)
• $285M Drift exploit: months of in-person meetings with employees
• $13B DeFi wipeout after KelpDAO hack, Aave faces bad-debt crisis

"According to TRMLabs, North Korean state-backed hackers now account for 76% of all crypto hack losses in 2026, totaling nearly $600 million. The $285 million Drift Protocol exploit involved months of in-person meetings between North Korean proxies and Drift employees—an unprecedented tactic. Hackers used social engineering to gain access, then converted funds to USDC and ETH. The report highlights that North Korea's hacking campaigns are becoming more precise and faster, with cumulative theft exceeding $6 billion since 2017."