Blockchain company Chainalysis revealed that North Korean hackers stole digital currencies worth more than $1.7 billion in 2022.
Law enforcement authorities in the U.S. and other countries imposed sanctions against Lazarus, the largest cybercriminal group.
To freeze accounts and subsequently confiscate cryptocurrencies, Western special services agreed to cooperate with major bitcoin exchanges.
The Binance administration said it assisted U.S. law enforcement in seizing $4.4 million in digital currencies, which were deposited at addresses linked to North Korean hackers.
The exchange’s press center stressed:
“We are proud to have helped U.S. law enforcement seize $4.4 million and freeze accounts linked to Korean organized crime.” In late April, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao revealed that his company had blocked $5.8 million in digital assets belonging to entities affiliated with the DPRK group Lazarus.