North Korea's Lazarus Group likely behind $300 million LayerZero crypto theft

Business Apr 22, 2026

North Korea's Lazarus Group is likely behind a $300 million crypto theft, the largest so far this year.
The hack, which occurred on April 18, hit LayerZero's servers and targeted KelpDAO, raising concerns that the stolen funds could help finance North Korea's nuclear program.

LayerZero: only KelpDAO's Ethereum-based token stolen

LayerZero called the attackers a highly-sophisticated state actor likely DPRK's Lazarus Group, and clarified that only KelpDAO's Ethereum-based token was stolen. Other assets stayed safe.
This isn't North Korea's first rodeo; since 2017, it has reportedly swiped over $3 billion in crypto.
The incident highlights just how vulnerable DeFi systems can be, and why stronger security is more important than ever.