Kraken Posts Q1 Revenue Surge—Then Spots North Korean Hackers in Its Backyard
Kraken’s Q1 earnings report reads like a crypto fairytale—until the ’DPRK’ chapter crashes the party. Revenue up, spirits high, then bam: traces of Lazarus Group-style activity in its systems. The exchange insists no customer funds were touched (this time).
Security teams scrambled while C-suite execs juggled champagne bottles and incident reports. ’Robust protocols contained the threat,’ claims the press release—translation: someone finally updated the firewall after last year’s $3M exploit.
Meanwhile, Wall Street analysts nod sagely: ’See? This is why we stick to regulated ponzi schemes.’
Kraken’s acquisition and product expansion
Kraken confirmed it completed the acquisition of NinjaTrader in the first quarter. The exchange stated that the move allows the company to introduce derivatives trading in the US.
The crypto trading platform stated that the transaction is a key moment in its growth strategy and marked a significant step in combining traditional financial infrastructure with the crypto sector.
The integration will provide traders with streamlined access to digital and traditional markets across the two platforms.
During the first quarter, the company expanded its product offering to meet rising demand from its growing retail user base.
The exchange said it introduced a new consumer-facing app to make wealth-building tools more accessible for retailers.
Kraken also launched a payments feature to support transactions across hundreds of crypto and fiat currencies, aiming to enhance its role as a practical financial platform.
Additionally, staking services remained a focus, with coverage extended to users across dozens of US states and territories.
North Korea security threats
Kraken disclosed a security incident involving a suspected North Korean hacker in a separate announcement.
According to the exchange, the individual attempted to infiltrate the firm by applying for a job using a false identity.
Kraken stated that red flags surfaced early in the interview process as the candidate joined the call under a different name and spoke in inconsistent voices, suggesting outside coaching.
Moreover, a tip from industry partners confirmed that the email used by the applicant had ties to a known North Korean operation targeting crypto firms.
However, instead of halting the interview process, Kraken allowed it to continue to learn more about the tactics involved.
According to the exchange, its investigation into the applicant revealed fake identities, technical anomalies, and the use of remote Mac desktops accessed via VPNs. The applicant also submitted a falsified ID and a resume linked to a compromised GitHub account tied to a past data breach.
Kraken’s Chief Security Officer, Nick Percoco, led final-stage verification tests that the applicant ultimately failed.
This led the company to conclude that the attempt was a coordinated effort to breach its internal systems through social engineering.
