DOJ and FBI Move Against North Korean Crypto Theft After Binance Heist, Seizing $1.2 Billion
Photo: Washington TimesThe U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday a crackdown on North Korean cryptocurrency theft, saying federal authorities have frozen more than $2.7 billion in digital assets tied to a theft from the Binance exchange around Oct. 29. The department said it obtained court authorization to seize or restrict access to more than $1.2 billion of the stolen funds, and the FBI said it had seized more than $1.2 billion. The amount taken from Binance, described as the world's largest crypto exchange, was put at over $6 billion, with one report giving $6.3 billion. Preliminary findings indicate hackers may have used a compromised company computer to start unauthorized transfers. The effort also includes dismantling a separate hacking operation that targeted cryptocurrency holders and software developers. M. Scott Proctor, principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security, said North Korea's government funds its weapons program through crypto theft and that the National Security Division will use every tool to seize and return the funds. The FBI also said Thursday that North Korean hackers have stolen more than $400 million in crypto over 18 months using a social engineering scheme called FaceStealer. It relies on imposter video conference platforms, secretly recorded webcam video and computer intrusions to target people working in the crypto industry.
Right-leaning coverage centers on the Binance case. The Washington Examiner leads with the Justice Department crackdown, puts the $6.3 billion theft in its headline, and features Proctor's statement tying the thefts to North Korea's weapons funding, along with the $2.7 billion frozen and the compromised-computer finding. The Washington Times is briefer and leads with the FBI's seizure of more than $1.2 billion from the exchange, in its available text without mentioning North Korea. Left-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while alternative and right-leaning outlets had. The Hill takes a distinct angle: the FBI's FaceStealer warning and the $400 million figure, with no Binance details in its excerpt.
How the sides differ Right sources stress the Binance seizures and the Justice Department's North Korea crackdown; alternative sources stress an FBI warning about the FaceStealer scheme; left sources have not covered it.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
Not covering this story. None of the left-leaning outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
The Hill leads with an FBI statement that North Korean hackers stole over $400 million in 18 months through the FaceStealer scheme, detailing fake video conference platforms and secret webcam recordings aimed at crypto workers.
- Washington TimesPaywallFBI says U.S. has seized $1.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen from Binance
The Washington Examiner leads with the Justice Department crackdown, the $6.3 billion Binance theft and a Proctor quote on funding North Korea's regime; the Washington Times briefly reports the FBI's $1.2 billion seizure.