Kuala Lampur, Oct. 31 -- North Korea has long been associated with nuclear brinkmanship, ballistic missile development and international sanctions.

Yet another dimension of its national security apparatus has become increasingly consequential: cyber operations.

The reported US$6.3 billion cryptocurrency heist involving Binance, with North Korea emerging as a suspected culprit, illustrates the scale of the challenge.

What makes this development particularly significant is not merely the enormous sum allegedly stolen.

It is the possibility that cyber theft has become a recurring instrument of state financing and strategic competition.

North Korea's alleged involvement in successive cryptocurrency attacks raises an uncomfortable questio...