Bybit Sues North Korea, Lazarus Group Over $1.5B Crypto Hack
Exchange wins preliminary injunction to freeze stolen assets in US court.
Crypto exchange Bybit has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia against North Korea, its Reconnaissance General Bureau, and the Lazarus Group over the theft of approximately $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency.
The exchange obtained a preliminary injunction that blocks unnamed defendants from moving or selling the stolen digital assets. Court records describe the order as covering identified funds, though the full $1.5 billion amount is not explicitly confirmed in the injunction.
Legal action details
- The lawsuit names North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau and the Lazarus Group as defendants.
- The preliminary injunction restrains unnamed parties from transferring or liquidating the assets in question.
- The case is being heard in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The lawsuit is part of Bybit's broader effort to recover funds lost in one of the largest crypto heists on record. The incident highlighted the difficulty of reversing blockchain transactions, as stolen crypto can move across jurisdictions and mixing services.