By Vaughn Hillyard And Jake Traylor

455 126K

By Vaughn Hillyard and Jake Traylor

May 8 2024 936 AM PDT

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced that it had seized $455 million in cryptocurrency from a North Korean hacking group. The seizure is the largest-ever cryptocurrency seizure by the U.S. government, and it is a major blow to North Korea's ability to fund its nuclear and missile programs.

The cryptocurrency was stolen from a South Korean cryptocurrency exchange in 2020. The North Korean hacking group, known as Lazarus, is believed to be responsible for the hack. Lazarus is a state-sponsored hacking group that has been linked to a number of major cyberattacks, including the 2014 Sony Pictures hack.

The Justice Department's seizure of the cryptocurrency is a major victory for the U.S. government in its efforts to combat North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The seizure will make it more difficult for North Korea to fund its weapons programs, and it will send a strong message to other countries that the U.S. will not tolerate the use of cryptocurrency to fund illicit activities.