The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said North Korea is responsible for the theft of about $1.5 billion worth of virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange "ByBit", Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
"ByBit" said last Friday that hackers gained control of an ether wallet, and the cryptocurrency was transferred to an unidentified address.
The exchange serves more than 60 million users worldwide and offers access to various cryptocurrencies.
The FBI believes it was a North Korean cyberattack carried out using the "TraderTrader" approach (TraderTraitor). In it, hackers use information from cookies (small text files that a website stores on a user's computer when they visit it – ed. note) to impersonate the compromised person and successfully gain access to confidential information, the bureau's website states.
"The participants in "TraderTraitor" acted quickly and converted some of the stolen assets into bitcoin and other virtual assets," the law enforcement agency said.
The FBI also said that the assets are expected to be reinvested in legitimate transactions and eventually converted into fiat currency.
Blockchain research firm "Elliptic" said that the amount stolen in the hacking attack is almost certainly the largest such theft known.