Bybit Launches Bounty Program to Freeze Lazarus Group’s Stolen Crypto
Bybit has declared an all-out offensive against North Korea’s Lazarus Group, launching a dedicated website to track the hacker collective’s illicit crypto transactions. The exchange is offering a 5% bounty for information that leads to freezing stolen funds.
CEO Ben Zhou announced the initiative in a social media post, describing it as “the first fully transparent bounty platform” aimed at disrupting Lazarus’ money laundering network. The website allows users to monitor suspicious wallet activity and submit reports, with successful contributions being rewarded as soon as the assets are locked.
“We have a specialized team updating this platform in real time,” Zhou stated. “This isn’t just about Bybit—our goal is to eliminate bad actors from the entire industry. Eventually, we’ll open this up to help other victims of Lazarus as well.”
Currently, 6,338 wallet addresses linked to Lazarus are being tracked, with $42.3 million in frozen assets—around 3% of the estimated total stolen funds.
Bybit’s initiative comes in response to last week’s staggering $1.5 billion hack, the largest crypto theft on record, which sent shockwaves through the industry. The exchange’s move represents a shift toward collective action, harnessing blockchain transparency and community-driven efforts to combat crypto-related cybercrime.
