Cryptocurrency exchange, Bybit, has sued North Korea, its intelligence agency, and the Lazarus Group over the theft of about $1.5 billion in digital assets in February 2025 seeking to recover funds linked to the record hack.
The Dubai-based exchange filed the civil case in a U.S. federal court and secured a preliminary injunction preventing unidentified defendants holding assets traced to the theft from transferring or selling them while the litigation proceeds.
The February 2025 attack, which involved the theft of more than 400,000 Ether and staked Ether, was attributed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to North Korea. The FBI has described the operation as TraderTraitor.
2025 RECAP | Crypto Losses Increased by ~40% YoY in 2025
Bybit said the civil action is separate from ongoing U.S. criminal investigations and that it would seek further relief from the court. The case gives the exchange another route to pursue stolen funds as blockchain tracing allows investigators to identify and track assets across wallets and platforms.
CASE STUDY | How Recovered Funds from this DeFi Exploit Could Cover Compensation for Non-Crypto Claims
