Bybit has filed suit against North Korea, its Lazarus Group and the Reconnaissance General Bureau over the record $1.5B hack of the exchange, and has already secured a court order freezing stolen assets.

The case, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, won a preliminary injunction freezing the identified stolen digital assets while the litigation continues. It is a rare, direct legal move against a nation-state hacking operation. CEO Ben Zhou framed it plainly: 'Our focus has never changed: protect our users first, recover what we can, and make sure the people behind these attacks are held accountable.'

The February 21, 2025 theft of over 400,000 ETH and stETH was the largest hack in crypto history and made up the bulk of the roughly $2B North Korea stole that year, part of an estimated $6.75B Pyongyang-linked crews have taken to date.