You Won’t Believe Who FBI Pins $41M Stake.com Crypto Heist On

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has pointed the finger at none other than Lazarus Group, North Korea’s infamous state-sponsored hacking collective, for being behind the recent $41 million crypto heist targeting popular online gambling platform Stake.com.

Last week, Stake.com, which has over 500,000 registered users worldwide, temporarily shut down operations after getting hacked, losing Ethereum, Polygon and Binance Smart Chain funds.

Now, the FBI confirms that Lazarus Group cybercriminals were the culprits. The North Korean hackers exploited Stake.com’s hot wallets and made off with the crypto loot, estimated at $41.3 million. The FBI says the stolen funds got funnelled into a complex web of virtual currency addresses.

This is far from Lazarus Group’s first rodeo. The FBI says they’re linked to a ton of other high-profile cyber attacks, including the 2018 Coincheck hack which saw $581 million in crypto stolen.

“The FBI will continue working to disrupt North Korea’s virtual currency theft and money laundering,” they said. With billions in crypto now sloshing around, exchanges gotta step up security against these government-backed hacking groups. Crazy stuff.