ZachXBT

Analysis

North Korean IT Workers Have Been Building DeFi Protocols Since 2020. The $285M Drift Hack Shows Why That Matters.

A researcher says over 40 DeFi platforms have employed DPRK state-linked developers. Their seven years of blockchain experience is, as she notes, not a lie. The Drift Protocol exploit was not a code bug. It was a six-month intelligence operation conducted by a North Korean state-affiliated group that attended conferences, deposited real capital, and waited.

By Ramy Morton

ZachXBT Overview

ZachXBT is the pseudonymous on-chain investigator who exposes hacks, scams, and exploits by following the money across blockchains. This tag tracks his investigations into stolen funds, wallet drainers, and North Korean laundering, the exchanges and mixers he flags, and the recoveries his work triggers. Coinliva covers the investigations, the traced flows, and ZachXBT’s role as crypto’s de facto detective.