Finance1 min read

U.S. seizes $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency stolen from Binance

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The Justice Department's recent actions follow an October 29 cyberattack that drained more than $6 billion from Binance. The FBI and DOJ attributed that massive exploit to North Korean military-linked actors operating under the moniker "TraderTraitor." Beyond asset recovery, law enforcement dismantled cloud infrastructure utilized by a distinct identity scheme known as "FaceStealer," which has drained over $400 million by deploying AI-generated deepfakes during fake video calls.

Key points

  • U.S. law enforcement is actively tracking remaining stolen assets as North Korean hackers…: U.S. law enforcement is actively tracking remaining stolen assets as North Korean hackers attempt to launder the proceeds.
  • Cybercriminals are deploying artificial intelligence and deepfake video calls to compromi…: Cybercriminals are deploying artificial intelligence and deepfake video calls to compromise corporate devices with malware.
  • Federal agencies are prioritizing the seizure of illicit digital assets to starve the Nor…: Federal agencies are prioritizing the seizure of illicit digital assets to starve the North Korean regime of weapons financing.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

U.S. authorities have seized around $1.2 billion in virtual assets stolen from cryptocurrency exchange Binance last month, the Department of Justice said Thursday, as it vowed action to tackle cyberscams originating from North Korea.

Over $6 billion was stolen from industry giant Binance on Oct. 29, which the DOJ attributed to actors linked to the North Korean military.

Collective efforts between the U.S. government and private sector have resulted in more than $2.7 billion of that amount being frozen.

The FBI blames the attack, which shook confidence in crypto market security, on members of the North Korean military it refers to as "TraderTraitor."

The DOJ said it was taking coordinated action against what it called the North Korean government's "schemes to fund its regime through the massive theft of cryptocurrency."

That includes "the court-authorized seizure and restraint of more than $1.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency recently stolen from Binance," it said.

DOJ units, law enforcement partners and virtual asset service providers have been working to intercept the stolen assets.

But efforts to track and freeze the assets are ongoing, as…

Finance