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Security AffairsPierluigi Paganini

DOJ disrupts North Korean crypto theft and seizes $1.2 billion

Part of the TraderTraitor story · since 9 Mar

Developinglatest 1 hour ago34 articles11 outlets
9 Mar · The Hacker News first14 Jul26 Aug8 OctNowThis article34th of 34
  • Mon 9 Mar, 16:26 UTC. The Hacker News, first report. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 10:21 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 19:27 UTC. Security Affairs, its first report on the story. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit.
  • Thu 23 Apr, 15:01 UTC. The Hacker News. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach.
  • Fri 1 May, 21:31 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks.
  • Mon 7 Sep, 11:26 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units.
  • Mon 21 Sep, 06:21 UTC. The Hacker News. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats.
  • Mon 28 Sep, 02:30 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests.
  • Mon 12 Oct, 09:11 UTC. SecurityOnline. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems.
  • Thu 29 Oct, 18:30 UTC. Microsoft, its first report on the story. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 08:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:30 UTC. SOCRadar, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 12:00 UTC. Infosecurity. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 13:00 UTC. Malwarebytes, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 14:30 UTC. Ars Technica, its first report on the story. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 19:30 UTC. Security Affairs. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 08:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 09:55 UTC. cybersixt, its first report on the story. Binance cyberattack: how North Korea launders the stolen $6.4B.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 20:30 UTC. Security Affairs. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 11:00 UTC. Infosecurity. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 19:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 23:30 UTC. Dark Reading. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses.
  • Tue 3 Nov, 10:30 UTC. SecurityOnline. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 10:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 11:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 17:00 UTC. Ars Technica. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months.
  • Wed 11 Nov, 12:00 UTC. SOCRadar. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 03:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Seizes $1.2 Billion in Crypto Stolen From Binance.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 03:31 UTC. SecurityOnline. DOJ Disrupts North Korean Crypto Theft Schemes and Seizes $1.2B.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 12:30 UTC. SOCRadar. FBI disrupts North Korean fake video call crypto scam.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 23:00 UTC. Security Affairs. DOJ disrupts North Korean crypto theft and seizes $1.2 billion. This article, 34th of 34.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced coordinated actions against North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft operations, including the seizure of cloud infrastructure used in the FaceStealer social‑engineering scheme and court-authorised seizures tied to the Binance theft. DOJ says these measures put more than $1.2 billion back under law‑enforcement control, wrapping together the FaceStealer disruption and the seizure/restraint of over $1.2 billion stolen from Binance in October 2023.

The press release notes that FaceStealer has allegedly netted more than $400 million in cryptocurrency theft over the past 18 months and that the Binance theft is part of a larger scheme by North Korea’s TraderTraitor unit. The FBI and DOJ emphasised that the operation involved both civil and criminal actions, with the Central District of California and the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office leading the infrastructure seizure and enforcement effort.

FaceStealer is described as a social‑engineering campaign used by North Korea‑linked actors, who operate under the aliases Sapphire Sleet, BlueNoroff and APT38 among others. The attackers conduct meetings using stolen accounts, deploying deepfake videos of crypto industry figures to gain trust, then presenting a technical problem and prompting victims to click a malicious link, thereby installing malware.

The scheme has involved targeting developers and their networks, with the FBI noting that more than 900 webcam videos of victims were seized under a federal warrant and that the FBI has published resources and a dedicated page on facestealer. Separately, the DOJ has pursued freezes and seizures related to the Binance loss, with authorities reporting over $2.7 billion frozen or restrained so far and ongoing efforts to trace and seize laundered assets through bridges, mixers and exchanges. The FBI, US Secret Service and IRS-CI have issued a joint cyber alert naming involved addresses to block transactions.

How the story developed

All 34 articles
Developinglatest 1 hour ago34 articles11 outlets

34 articles from 11 outlets since 9 Mar. Still developing; the latest report was 1 hour ago. This was the 34th report, 249 days after the first.

Now9 Mar275132325 Sep1828715253First reportThe Hacker News · 9 Mar, 16:26This article34th of 34 · day 249
  • Mon 9 Mar, 16:26 UTC. The Hacker News, first report. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 10:21 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 19:27 UTC. Security Affairs, its first report on the story. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit.
  • Thu 23 Apr, 15:01 UTC. The Hacker News. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach.
  • Fri 1 May, 21:31 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks.
  • Mon 7 Sep, 11:26 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units.
  • Mon 21 Sep, 06:21 UTC. The Hacker News. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats.
  • Mon 28 Sep, 02:30 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests.
  • Mon 12 Oct, 09:11 UTC. SecurityOnline. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems.
  • Thu 29 Oct, 18:30 UTC. Microsoft, its first report on the story. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 08:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:30 UTC. SOCRadar, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 12:00 UTC. Infosecurity. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 13:00 UTC. Malwarebytes, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 14:30 UTC. Ars Technica, its first report on the story. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 19:30 UTC. Security Affairs. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 08:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 09:55 UTC. cybersixt, its first report on the story. Binance cyberattack: how North Korea launders the stolen $6.4B.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 20:30 UTC. Security Affairs. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 11:00 UTC. Infosecurity. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 19:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 23:30 UTC. Dark Reading. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses.
  • Tue 3 Nov, 10:30 UTC. SecurityOnline. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 10:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 11:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 17:00 UTC. Ars Technica. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months.
  • Wed 11 Nov, 12:00 UTC. SOCRadar. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea. Cites a CVE in CISA KEV.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 03:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Seizes $1.2 Billion in Crypto Stolen From Binance.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 03:31 UTC. SecurityOnline. DOJ Disrupts North Korean Crypto Theft Schemes and Seizes $1.2B.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 12:30 UTC. SOCRadar. FBI disrupts North Korean fake video call crypto scam.
  • Fri 13 Nov, 23:00 UTC. Security Affairs. DOJ disrupts North Korean crypto theft and seizes $1.2 billion. This article, 34th of 34.
  • Known exploited CVE
  • CVE not in KEV
  • No CVE
  • Larger: an outlet’s first report
  • Coverage over time
  • Quiet time, folded
Show all 34 articles as a list
  1. Mon 9 MarDay 01
    1. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds16:26 · The Hacker News · First report

  2. Quiet for 6 weeks

    Tue 21 AprDay 432
    1. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi10:21 · SecurityWeek · Picked up again
    2. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit19:27 · Security Affairs

  3. Quiet for 2 days

    Thu 23 AprDay 451
    1. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach15:01 · The Hacker News

  4. Quiet for 8 days

    Fri 1 MayDay 531
    1. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks21:31 · Dark Reading · Picked up again

  5. Quiet for 18 weeks

    Mon 7 SepDay 1821
    1. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units11:26 · Infosecurity · Picked up again

  6. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Mon 21 SepDay 1961
    1. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats06:21 · The Hacker News · Picked up again

  7. Quiet for 7 days

    Mon 28 SepDay 2031
    1. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests02:30 · SecurityOnline · Picked up again

  8. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Mon 12 OctDay 2171
    1. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems09:11 · SecurityOnline · Picked up again

  9. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Thu 29 OctDay 2341
    1. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations18:30 · Microsoft · Picked up again
  10. Fri 30 OctDay 2357
    1. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist08:30 · SecurityWeek
    2. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach09:00 · SecurityOnline
    3. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets09:30 · SOCRadar
    Show 4 more from 30 Oct
    1. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group12:00 · Infosecurity
    2. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group13:00 · Malwarebytes
    3. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea14:30 · Ars Technica
    4. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea19:30 · Security Affairs

  11. Quiet for 2 days

    Sun 1 NovDay 2373
    1. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist08:30 · The Hacker News
    2. Binance cyberattack: how North Korea launders the stolen $6.4B09:55 · cybersixt
    3. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft20:30 · Security Affairs
  12. Mon 2 NovDay 2385
    1. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations09:00 · SecurityOnline
    2. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist09:30 · SecurityWeek
    3. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor11:00 · Infosecurity
    Show 2 more from 2 Nov
    1. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist19:30 · The Hacker News
    2. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses23:30 · Dark Reading
  13. Tue 3 NovDay 2391
    1. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea10:30 · SecurityOnline
  14. Wed 4 NovDay 2403
    1. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist10:00 · SecurityWeek
    2. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group11:30 · SecurityWeek
    3. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months17:00 · Ars Technica

  15. Quiet for 7 days

    Wed 11 NovDay 2471
    1. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea12:00 · SOCRadar · Exploited CVE · Picked up again · Known exploited CVE

  16. Quiet for 2 days

    Fri 13 NovDay 2494
    1. FBI Seizes $1.2 Billion in Crypto Stolen From Binance03:00 · SecurityWeek
    2. DOJ Disrupts North Korean Crypto Theft Schemes and Seizes $1.2B03:31 · SecurityOnline
    3. FBI disrupts North Korean fake video call crypto scam12:30 · SOCRadar
    4. DOJ disrupts North Korean crypto theft and seizes $1.2 billion23:00 · Security Affairs · This article, 34th of 34

Sources

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