ByBit, a major cryptocurrency trading platform, is inviting online bounty hunters to help recover nearly $1.5 billion stolen in what may be the largest digital heist in history. The attack, attributed to the notorious Lazarus Group from North Korea, resulted in the theft of $1.46 billion (£1.1 billion) in cryptocurrency from the platform last week. To counter this significant loss, ByBit has launched a crowdsourced bounty initiative that rewards individuals who assist in tracking down the stolen assets.
The hacking group is reportedly attempting to quickly liquidate their haul through intricate money laundering operations, raising the urgency for recovery efforts. ByBit’s CEO, Ben Zhou, highlighted the initiative on social media, urging the public to collaborate with the platform in a “war against Lazarus.” The new website features a bounty system that awards 5% of any successfully identified frozen funds to both the sleuth and the companies that act on it.
Due to the public nature of blockchain technology, it remains possible to trace illicit transactions. ByBit's newly created site showcases a live leaderboard that recognizes successful efforts in locating and halting the criminal operations. As rewards already amount to millions for tipsters, the platform has assigned dedicated resources to monitor and update the initiative continuously.
Experts in the crypto investigation sector, such as Tom Robinson from Elliptic, have praised ByBit's bounty initiative as a groundbreaking move to harness the talent of blockchain investigators motivated to recover the stolen funds. However, Louise Abbott from Keystone Law cautioned that the hack could further erode trust in the cryptocurrency industry, which is already characterized by volatility.
The absence of central regulatory bodies in cryptocurrencies leaves victims like ByBit reliant on cooperation from other exchanges to freeze stolen assets. Currently, the platform maintains a log of those that have refused to assist, including eXch, a service that allows users to trade crypto-assets anonymously and has reportedly laundered funds derived from other criminal activities.
ByBit’s new site dedicated to the bounty program is set to be made available to other victims of Lazarus Group’s notorious hacking spree, which has been linked to approximately $6 billion in stolen cryptocurrency over the past years. The illicit funds are believed to aid North Korea in evading international sanctions while furthering its military ambitions.
