China’s Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) has accused the United States of a $13 billion Bitcoin theft. The information was reported by Bloomberg, citing a CVERC report.
According to the accusations, the case involves a 2020 cyberattack on China’s “LuBian” mining pool. Hackers allegedly stole around 127,300 Bitcoins, marking it as the largest cryptocurrency theft in history. CVERC claims that the operation was a state-level hacking attack orchestrated by the U.S.
The report notes the “stealthy and slow movement” of the stolen Bitcoins, which does not match typical cryptocurrency thief behavior.
CVERC also claims a connection between the stolen Bitcoins and tokens confiscated by the U.S. from Cambodian businessman Chen Ji. Last month, the U.S. charged him with fraud and money laundering. Approximately 127,300 Bitcoins were seized from his “Prince Holding Group.”
CVERC emphasizes that the U.S. government has not disclosed when or how it gained control over these tokens. The report states that “in 2020, the U.S. government may have used hacking methods to seize the 127,000 Bitcoins held by Chen Ji. This is a classic state-level hacking operation.”
In recent months, China has increasingly accused the U.S. of cyberattacks. In October, Beijing also blamed U.S. intelligence agencies for an attack on China’s National Time Service.
