An Exchange Sues North Korea and Lazarus Group Over $1.5 Billion Hack, Obtains Asset Freeze Order

On August 8, an exchange filed a civil lawsuit against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) intelligence agency, and the hacker group Lazarus Group, which is identified as being linked to North Korea, for stealing $1.5 billion from an exchange last year. In addition to the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, an exchange also said it won a preliminary injunction freezing certain stolen assets held by a group of unidentified individuals and entities, who are named as 'John Doe' defendants in the case. The trading platform said in a press release on Friday that the preliminary injunction means the federal judge ordered the defendants not to transfer or sell the assets they hold while the case is pending. The platform will seek further relief from the court. 'This civil lawsuit is being pursued independently of the ongoing criminal investigation by U.S. law enforcement.' (CoinDesk)