China Accuses US of Stealing $13 Billion in Bitcoin Through State-Level Hack

China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) has accused the US government of orchestrating the 2020 theft of 127,272 bitcoins, worth about $13 billion, from the LuBian mining pool. The hack exploited a flaw in the pool's weak random number generator for creating private keys. Chinese authorities base their state-level hack accusation on the fact that the stolen bitcoins remained dormant for nearly four years before suddenly moving to wallets identified as US government-controlled in July 2024. Conversely, the US Department of Justice asserts that the seizure of 127,271 bitcoins was a legitimate civil forfeiture action targeting proceeds from massive 'pig butchering' fraud schemes run by Chen Zhi, the owner of the compromised mining pool. Independent researchers have found no direct evidence linking the original 2020 hack to any specific state actor, highlighting the complex jurisdictional challenges in international digital asset disputes.

(Source：Brave New Coin)