. North Korean Workers Hidden Inside Crypto Companies — Rewritten in Simple, Conversational Tone

A security expert has warned that many crypto companies may have North Korean workers inside their teams without even knowing it. He shared these concerns during Devconnect in Buenos Aires, and the numbers he mentioned were shocking.

According to Pablo Sabbatella, who runs the web3 security firm Opsek, up to 20% of crypto companies may unknowingly have North Korean workers involved in their operations. Even more alarming, he estimates that 30–40% of job applicants in the crypto space are attempts by North Korea to get inside companies.

Why is this a big deal?
Because North Korea has stolen more than $3 billion in crypto over the past three years, money that goes straight to its nuclear weapons program.

How North Korea Gets In

Because sanctions block North Koreans from applying for jobs directly, they find people in other countries—like Ukraine or the Philippines—to act as “fronts.” These people let the North Korean agents use their identities, bank accounts, and even computers.

The agents usually take 80% of the earnings and leave 20% to the person lending their identity.

U.S. companies are especially targeted. North Korean applicants often pretend to be Chinese workers who need help with interviews. Once connected, they install malware on the “front person’s” computer, giving them access to American IP addresses and a much wider internet than they have in North Korea.

These workers usually perform well, work long hours, and never complain — which helps them stay employed and gain deeper access to company systems.

Weak Security Makes It Easy

Sabbatella says the crypto industry is easier to infiltrate because security practices are weaker than in other tech fields.
Founders overshare online, keys are handled poorly, and scammers easily manipulate inexperienced teams.

This lack of discipline is one reason North Korea’s cyber theft operations continue to succeed.

2. Bitwise CIO: Ethereum Could Lead the Next Crypto Rally — Rewritten in Simple, Conversational Tone

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan believes Ethereum could be the project that kicks off the next big crypto rally. And he says the reason is an upgrade most people aren’t paying attention to.

The upgrade is called Fusaka, and it goes live on December 3. Hougan thinks this upgrade could boost Ethereum’s revenue by 5 to 10 times thanks to a new minimum data fee for Layer 2 networks.

But Hougan says there’s an even bigger trend happening:
Major crypto tokens are finally starting to capture real economic value, not just offer vague “governance rights.”

For example:

• Uniswap is proposing a “fee switch” that would burn about 16% of trading fees.
• XRP holders are exploring staking options.

New regulations are also pushing token projects to offer more direct benefits to their holders.

What the Fusaka Upgrade Does

The Fusaka hard fork will activate on Ethereum at block 13,164,544. It brings several major improvements:

• PeerDAS technology, which lets validators check data without downloading everything.
• A higher block gas limit — jumping from 45 million to up to 150 million.
• More room for transactions, smart contracts, and data-heavy apps.
• Faster and cheaper Layer 2 operations.

Hougan posted that the new minimum fee structure for Layer 2 data could multiply ETH’s revenue dramatically.

He believes the market will soon wake up to how important this upgrade is.

Tokens Are Shifting Toward Real Value

Hougan says tokens like UNI and XRP are changing in a big way:

• UNI may become a top 10 token once the fee burn launches.
• XRP could change its entire model if staking is added.

He expects 2026 to be the year when everyone realizes token value capture isn’t static — it’s increasing.

To Hougan, the Fusaka upgrade is one of the most underrated catalysts in the market right now, and it could be a major reason Ethereum leads the next crypto rebound.