On October 4, 2024, the US government filed two lawsuits to seize over $2.67 million in digital assets stolen by the North Korean Lazarus hacking group.
Legal Action Against Lazarus for Crypto Theft
According to legal filings, the US government seeks to recover approximately $1.7 million in Tether stolen by the organization during the 2022 Deribit hack. The hackers routed the funds through the Tornado Cash mixer and several Ethereum addresses to evade detection.
Attacks on Deribit and Stake.com Platforms
US law enforcement officials also filed to recover approximately $970,000 in Bitcoin stolen due to the Lazarus Group's hack of the Stake.com platform in 2023. The attack left the platform with losses exceeding $41 million.
FBI Warning: Lazarus Group Tactics Shift
In September 2024, the FBI issued a series of warnings about the Lazarus Group, including a warning about social engineering scams. One of such scams involved sending fake job offers containing malware.
The Lazarus hacking group continues to pose a significant threat to cryptocurrency platforms. US authorities and international investigators focus on recovering stolen assets and preventing further attacks.