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Investigators Trace $21 Million From SBI Crypto to Tornado Cash, Flag DPRK Pattern

SBI has not acknowledged the transfers, with no law‑enforcement attribution announced.

Overview

  • Outflows totaling about $21 million left addresses tied to SBI Crypto on Sept. 24 across Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Bitcoin Cash, according to on‑chain analysis.
  • ZachXBT, working with security firm Cyvers, reported the funds were routed through five instant exchanges before landing in the Tornado Cash mixer.
  • Investigators said the laundering workflow shows similarities to past operations linked to North Korean groups such as Lazarus, though attribution remains unconfirmed.
  • SBI Group has not issued a public statement on the incident, leaving the attack vector, internal impact, and any recovery efforts unclear.
  • The episode fits a broader pattern of large crypto thefts tied by analysts to DPRK‑linked actors, with Tornado Cash frequently cited as a preferred obfuscation tool.