Bybit, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) intelligence agency, and the Lazarus Group, the DPRK-linked hacking group blamed for stealing $1.5 billion from the exchange last year.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Bybit said it also won a preliminary injunction freezing certain stolen assets held by a group of unidentified individuals and entities, named in the case as John Doe defendants, according to a press release issued by the exchange on Friday.
On February 21, 2025, the North Korean state-sponsored Lazarus Group allegedly executed what is described as the largest cryptocurrency heist in history, stealing approximately $1.5 billion in Ethereum, over 400,000 ETH and stETH, from Dubai-based Bybit. The Bybit hack made up the bulk of the $2.02 billion in crypto stolen by North Korea last year. In total, North Korean hackers have stolen $6.75 billion worth of crypto, according to data from Chainalysis. The country is widely believed to use its ill-gotten crypto to fund its weapons program.
"The order is intended to preserve identified stolen digital assets while the litigation continues, representing an important step in Bybit's ongoing efforts to recover funds, support international law enforcement investigations, and reinforce accountability for large-scale cybercrime," Bybit said in the release.
