North Korean hackers siphon $285M from Drift Protocol after months-long in-person social engineering

ME News reported that on May 1 (UTC+8), North Korean operatives executed one of the largest social-engineering campaigns targeting a crypto protocol, stealing $285 million from Drift Protocol after spending months building trust through in-person meetings with company employees. TRM Labs data shows North Korean hackers were responsible for 76% of total crypto-theft losses in 2026. (Source: ODAILY)