Crypto’s $1.4B Drama: Lazarus vs. Bybit Showdown 🎭

Not a week had passed since cyber-vultures swooped down, ripping assets worth $1.4 billion from Bybit’s trembling coffers, when the exchange’s intrepid CEO, Ben Zhou, donned his digital armor and unsheathed his keyboard in a valiant call to arms. 💻⚔️

Perched atop his soapbox on the ever-chaotic Feb. 25 X platform, Zhou rallied his troops in a stirring “war against Lazarus,” that nefarious band of keyboard warriors from the cloaked recesses of North Korea. For the noble sleuths of the cyber realm, a treasure chest beckoned: follow the trail of ill-gotten crypto and claim 5% of the frozen loot. Or, gamble for the big prize — “Successful interceptions” could mean a roaring 10% ticket, potentially soaring up to $140 million. And no, there’s no catch. Promise. 😏💰

“We have assembled a crack team to maintain and update this website,” declared Sir Zhou. “Mark my words: this is a one-way trip to digital justice. Lazarus, consider thy days numbered!” And for the cherry on top of this hacker-hunting sundae, Zhou sweetly suggested an open invitation to other Lazarus victims — because misery does, after all, love company.

The gumshoe extraordinaire ZachXBT, tipping his hat, pointed the accusing finger squarely at Lazarus for orchestrating the Feb. 21 cyber heist: $1.4 billion worth of liquid-staked Ether (STETH), Mantle Staked ETH (mETH), and other shiny ERC-20 tokens spirited away into the digital ether. But lo, on Feb. 23, Bybit triumphantly announced it had plugged the leaks, proudly reinstating its “100% 1:1 on client assets” status. A mic-drop moment, if ever there was one. 🎤✨

Occasionally, firms appease hackers with a bounty — a dangling carrot to entice thieves to return their spoils. Zhou, however, with a glint of gleeful defiance, dismissed such niceties. No carrots here, only sticks. Eliminating Lazarus from their game plan? A daring provocation, some might say, painting a big red target on Bybit’s back. 🎯

The number of hacks has been decreasing since 2022

Ah, the nostalgia of yesteryears: North Korean hackers once raked in a whopping $3 billion worth of crypto between 2017 and 2023. But the Bybit escapade? This takes the cake at a jaw-dropping $1.4 billion — trumping even the 2022 Ronin Bridge scandal, which seemed like a mere stroll in the park with its $600 million grab. 🥇🍰

On a somewhat brighter note, the watchdogs at Blockchain security outfit PeckShield dished out this tidbit in January: “Hacks and scams are on the downswing, folks! Less chaos, more quiet.” Apparently, the swan song of 2024 bore witness to a deceleration in phishing attempts and other nefarious exploits, though the shadowy whispers of $3 billion stolen still echoed through the vaults of history. What can we say? Even cybercrime needs a coffee break. ☕‍💻

2025-02-25 19:23

The number of hacks has been decreasing since 2022

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