News View Non-AMP

Bybit Hack Update: Chase to Recover $1.4B Continues, 89% Still Traceable!

Published by
Vignesh S G

In one of the most devastating cyberattacks in recent history, the North Korean hacker group Lazarus recently stole $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit. This attack shook the crypto world, raising serious concerns about security.

However, Bybit is fighting back. With support from top blockchain security firms and crypto organizations, it has launched a large-scale effort to recover the stolen funds. According to Bybit CEO Ben Zhou, these efforts are already showing results, with 88.87% of the stolen funds still traceable.

Here’s everything we know about the attack and the chase for the stolen billions!

Bybit Hack: Latest Tracking Updates

Ben Zhou’s latest update confirms that nearly 89% of the stolen assets remain trackable, an improvement from earlier reports that estimated only 77% were traceable.

So far:

  • 3.54% of the stolen assets have been frozen
  • 7.59% have been lost, making them harder to recover

How Did Lazarus Pull Off the Heist?

Cybersecurity firm Arkham Intelligence offered a bounty to uncover the mastermind behind the hack—and crypto investigator ZachXBT cracked the case. Within just ten days, the hackers moved the stolen funds through THORChain, a decentralized cross-chain protocol.

To hide their tracks, they used several Bitcoin mixing services, including Wasabi, CryptoMixer, Railgun, and Tornado Cash. These tools make it difficult for investigators to trace transactions, adding another layer of complexity to the recovery process.

It Took Team Effort!

At least 12 organizations, including Mantle, Paraswap, and ZachXBT, are working together to track down the stolen funds.

To speed up the process, Bybit has launched a bounty program, offering a 10% reward for any funds successfully recovered. So far, the company has already paid out $2.2 million in bounties.

Success Stories in Crypto Fund Recovery

This isn’t the first time stolen cryptocurrency has been reclaimed. In 2023, Jump Crypto recovered $140 million from the Wormhole hack. Earlier this year, nearly $2.6 million was retrieved from a Lazarus attack on Deribit and a digital casino with help from the US government.

Lazarus Group’s Alarming Ties to North Korea

Lazarus Group is not just an ordinary cybercriminal organization. A United Nations report states that at least 40% of the funds it steals go directly to North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program.

Recognizing the danger, the FBI issued a warning late last year about Lazarus’ growing efforts to disrupt the blockchain industry.

The Bybit hack is yet another reminder of the increasing security threats in the cryptocurrency industry. While most stolen assets remain traceable, the use of mixers and cross-chain swaps makes recovery far more difficult.

Beyond financial losses, the impact of Lazarus’ activities raises serious concerns about global security.

Tracking stolen billions is one thing, but stopping cybercriminals before they strike? That’s the real challenge. And as long as groups like Lazarus exist, the fight is far from over.

Vignesh S G

Vignesh is a young journalist with a decade of experience. A proud alumnus of IIJNM, Bengaluru, he spent six years as a Sub-Editor for a leading business magazine, published from Kerala. His interest in futuristic technologies took him to a US-based software company specialising in Web3, Blockchain and AI. This stint inspired him to view the future of journalism through the lens of next generation technologies. Now, he covers the crypto scene for Coinpedia, uncovering a vibrant new world where technology and journalism converge.

Recent Posts

Crypto Liquidations Nearly $1B Today: Time to Exit and Take Profits?

The cryptocurrency market recorded more than $841 million in total forced liquidations during the last…

May 31, 2025

Bitcoin Price Displays a Similar Deviation: Is it Time for a Deeper Correction?

Ever since the start of the week, the Bitcoin price has been facing significant bearish…

May 30, 2025

Nimanode Ignites XRP Ecosystem with $NMA Presale, Eyes 10X Growth Post-Launch

Nimanode, the first no-code AI agent platform built natively on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), is…

May 30, 2025

Solana Targets $200 as TRON Prepares to Flip December’s ATH; Could Unilabs’ AI Launchpad Reshape DeFi?

With Bitcoin (BTC) ranging between $105,000 and $110,000, attention is gradually shifting to altcoins, causing…

May 30, 2025

Solana (SOL) Price Heading to the Crucial Range—Will it Drop to $150 or Rebound to $180?

The crypto markets are consolidating ahead of the $5 billion liquidity entering the space, as…

May 30, 2025

Top Cryptocurrencies Poised for Explosive Growth in 2025: Ripple, Ethereum, and Unilabs

Per reports from crypto commentators, the Ripple price might be soaring to $5 in the…

May 30, 2025