Bybit Files Lawsuit Against North Korea and Lazarus Group Over $1.5 Billion Hack

Bybit, the world’s second largest crypto exchange, has filed a civil lawsuit against North Korea, its Reconnaissance General Bureau intelligence agency, and the Lazarus Group hacking organization over last year’s massive theft of digital assets from the platform.

Lawsuit Filed in US Court

The exchange filed the case in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, targeting the parties responsible for stealing roughly $1.5 billion in Ethereum from Bybit in February 2025, one of the largest crypto heists on record. Alongside the lawsuit, Bybit said it secured a preliminary injunction freezing certain stolen assets held by unidentified individuals and entities named as John Doe defendants in the case.

Part of a Broader Pattern

The Bybit hack made up the bulk of the $2.02 billion in crypto North Korea stole last year, with total North Korean crypto theft reaching $6.75 billion according to Chainalysis data. The funds are widely believed to help finance the country’s weapons program.

Bybit Pushes for Accountability

CEO Ben Zhou said the exchange’s focus remains protecting users, recovering stolen funds, and holding attackers accountable, describing the hack as an attack on trust across the entire industry. The injunction bars the named parties from transferring or selling the frozen assets while litigation continues, and Bybit said it plans to pursue further relief through the courts, independent of ongoing criminal investigations.