Key points
- The US Justice Department announced coordinated actions against North Korean cryptocurrency theft schemes on 12 November 2026.
- Authorities disrupted FaceStealer infrastructure linked to more than $400 million in stolen cryptocurrency and secured court-authorised action involving over $1.2 billion in stolen Binance assets.
- The operation targets cybercrime funding North Korea’s government and weapons programmes while seeking to recover stolen digital assets.
The US Justice Department has disrupted North Korean crypto theft operations and targeted over $1.2 billion in stolen Binance assets.
The FaceStealer campaign stole more than $400 million in cryptocurrency over the previous 18 months.
“North Korea’s government bankrolls its rogue regime and illicit weapons program through cryptocurrency theft,” according to Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General M. Scott Proctor.
Separately, North Korean hackers stole more than $6 billion from Binance on or around 29 October 2026.
US authorities and private-sector partners have frozen more than $2.7 billion in assets linked to the Binance theft.
The Justice Department secured court authorisation to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion of those assets.
FaceStealer uses stolen accounts, recorded webcam footage and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes to deceive cryptocurrency and software developers.
The operation intensifies US efforts to disrupt North Korean cryptocurrency theft and recover assets used to finance illicit programmes.
Frequently asked questions
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