CryptoBriefing and Decrypt give different cumulative totals for crypto frozen tied to the Binance hack, even though both cite the same $1.2 billion in new seizures.
CryptoBriefing and Decrypt give different cumulative totals for crypto frozen tied to the Binance hack, even though both cite the same $1.2 billion in new seizures.
What all sources agree on
- North Korean hackers used a scheme called 'FaceStealer' involving secretly recorded webcam footage and video-call social engineering.
- The scheme reportedly generated more than $400 million in thefts over 18 months.
- The FBI seized more than 900 webcam recordings of victims under a federal warrant.
- The operation targeted crypto and Web3 workers, including open-source software developers/maintainers.
- The hacking groups involved are tracked under names including Sapphire Sleet, APT38, and BlueNoroff.
- The DOJ obtained authorization to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion tied to the Binance hack.
- The Binance theft, attributed to North Korea, involved more than $6 billion (CryptoBriefing states 'more than $6 billion'; Decrypt states 'roughly $6.4 billion').
Where the reports disagree
1Cumulative total of crypto frozen related to the Binance hack
An estimated $2.8 billion was frozen first, and the latest actions added the further $1.2 billion.
the department said it has now obtained court authorization to seize or restrain more than $1.2 billion of the roughly $6.4 billion stolen from the exchange on Oct. 29, part of over $2.7 billion frozen so far.
What would settle it: The DOJ's own forfeiture filings or press release detailing the cumulative amount of Binance-related crypto frozen to date.
What to make of it
Treat the FaceStealer scheme details, the $400 million figure, and the 900+ webcam recordings as established across both reports; the total amount of Binance-related crypto frozen to date (roughly $4 billion per CryptoBriefing's math vs. $2.7 billion per Decrypt) is unresolved and should not be cited as a settled figure until the DOJ's own statement is checked.
Treat the FaceStealer scheme details, the $400 million figure, and the 900+ webcam recordings as established across both reports; the total amount of Binance-related crypto frozen to date (roughly $4 billion per CryptoBriefing's math vs. $2.7 billion per Decrypt) is unresolved and should not be cited as a settled figure until the DOJ's own statement is checked.
