North Korean Proxies Linked to $285 Million Drift Protocol Exploit

North Korean proxies reportedly engaged in months of in-person meetings with Drift employees to facilitate the $285 million exploit of the Drift Protocol, according to TRMLabs. The report, released Thursday, highlights that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Lazarus Group were responsible for 76% of cryptocurrency losses due to hacks and exploits in 2026, amounting to nearly $600 million this year alone. According to NS3.AI, the proceeds from the Drift Protocol exploit were converted into USDC, bridged to Ethereum, swapped into ETH, and remained untouched following the day of the theft.