The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that it has seized or secured legal control over more than $1.2 billion worth of cryptocurrency stolen during last month's cyberattack on Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the FBI said the seizure followed a cyberattack in which approximately $6.3 billion in digital assets were stolen from the exchange, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts ever recorded.

US authorities have previously attributed the attack to TraderTraitor, a hacking group that Washington says is linked to North Korea.

More than $2.7 billion in assets frozen

According to US officials, joint efforts involving federal agencies and private-sector partners have so far resulted in the freezing of more than $2.7 billion in stolen digital assets.

The US Department of Justice said it had obtained court authorization to seize or restrict the movement of more than $1.2 billion of those assets, marking one of the largest cryptocurrency recovery efforts undertaken by US authorities.

Under US law, seized digital assets remain subject to judicial forfeiture proceedings. Courts will determine the ownership of the recovered assets after considering claims from parties asserting legal rights over the funds.

FBI links another cyber campaign to North Korea

In a separate statement issued on Thursday, the FBI also accused North Korea of carrying out another cyber campaign, dubbed "FaceStealer," which US authorities said resulted in the theft of approximately $400 million worth of cryptocurrency over the past 18 months.

According to the FBI, the operation relied on sophisticated social engineering techniques, including the compromise of popular messaging applications and the use of deepfake videos to deceive victims.

US officials have repeatedly accused North Korea of conducting cyberattacks to generate revenue for the government, alleging that proceeds from such operations are used to support the country's weapons programmes. Pyongyang has previously rejected similar accusations.(ILKHA)