Bybit Sues North Korea Over $1.5 Billion Hack, Seeks Asset Freeze

Bybit, the world's second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, has launched a civil lawsuit against North Korea and its state-linked hacking unit, the Lazarus Group, over the $1.5 billion hack that occurred on February 21, 2025.

The lawsuit targets the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) intelligence agency, and the Lazarus Group for orchestrating the theft that drained Bybit of hundreds of thousands of ether tokens.

Bybit secured a preliminary injunction from a federal court freezing stolen assets held by unnamed defendants to prevent transfer or sale during litigation.