• Norwegian authorities, in collaboration with the FBI and DOJ, have seized about $6 million stolen from Axie Infinity last year.
• The FBI believes the North Korean hacker group Lazarus was behind the heist.
• The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned crypto mixer Blender.io for laundering illicit proceeds from the attack.
Axie Infinity Heist
Norwegian authorities, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), have allegedly seized about $6 million that was stolen in last year’s Axie Infinity heist. „It is the biggest crypto seizure Norwegian police have ever made,“ said Norway’s Økokrim.
Recouping Some Stolen Funds
Økokrim, Norway’s National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, announced Thursday that it has seized 60 million kroner (approximately $5.8 million) in crypto in connection with the attack against Axie Infinity and Sky Mavis, the company that developed the non-fungible token (NFT)-based online video game. The Norwegian authority explained that in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Økokrim has seized close to NOK 60 million in cryptocurrency. It is the biggest crypto seizure Norwegian police have ever made.“We work with FBI specialists on tracking cryptocurrency,“ First State Attorney Marianne Bender commented; however, details about how exactly this seizure was conducted were not provided by Økokrim officials at this time..
Details About Attack
Axie Infinity suffered an attack in March last year after Ronin network validators were compromised resulting in a reported loss of $620 million at time of incident occurring.. According to investigators, „the attacker managed to get control over Sky Mavis’s four Ronin Validators and a third-party validator run by Axie DAO.“
U.S Treasury Sanctions Crypto Mixer Blender
In May last year, The U.S Treasury Department imposed sanctions on crypto mixer Blender for aiding North Korean hackers launder illicit proceeds from their attack on Axie Infinity: processing over $20 million worth or cryptos..
Conclusion
Norway’s Økorim has successfully recouped some funds lost due to last years‘ Axie Infinite hack; however they are still looking into other potential avenues where money may be recovered… With help from international entities such as US treasury department & FBI there is hope that more funds may be able to be returned back to rightful owners