China sees American hand in $13-billion Bitcoin theft

China's cybersecurity agency accused the American government of orchestrating the theft of about $13 billion worth of Bitcoin, representing China's most recent attempt to attribute major cyberattacks to the US.

The theft of the 127,272 Bitcoin tokens from the LuBian Bitcoin mining pool that took place in December 2020 ranks as one of the largest crypto heists in history. The hack is likely a "state-level hacker operation" led by the US, according to the Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center

The theft of the 127,272 Bitcoin tokens from the LuBian Bitcoin mining pool that took place in December 2020 ranks as one of the largest crypto heists in history. The hack is likely a "state-level hacker operation" led by the US, according to the Chinese National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, which said the quiet and delayed movement of the stolen Bitcoin suggests a government-level action rather than typical criminal behavior.


The report, published last week, links the stolen Bitcoin from LuBian, once one of the largest Bitcoin mining operations in the world, with tokens that were confiscated by the US government, which the US said are associated with Chen Zhi, the chairman of Cambodian conglomerate Prince Group. Chen was charged by the US with engaging in a wire-fraud conspiracy and operating a money-laundering scheme in October.