最新报道：When a suspicious transaction flashed on the screen, Greek investigators realized they had a chance to make history. Months after North Korea's Lazarus Group looted $1.5 billion from Bybit, a digital trail pointed to Greece's first-ever cryptocurrency seizure, proving that even the most cunning hackers leave traces. According to a July 9 announcement, the Greek Anti-Money Laundering Authority executed the country's first cryptocurrency asset seizure, tracing funds stolen in the record-breaking Bybit hack earlier this year. The breakthrough came when investigators flagged a suspicious transaction using Chainalysis Reactor, a blockchain investigation platform acquired in 2023 and supported by Chainalysis' local partner Performance Technologies. Chainalysis said Greek analysts used the tool to directly link wallets associated with the flagged transaction to a cyberattack attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group. Authorities then issued an emergency freezing order and escalated the case to prosecutors. “This successful blockchain tracing enabled the Authority to issue a ‘freezing order’ that immediately froze the wallet and its contents — effectively removing the proceeds of crime from the control of the illicit actor. The case has now been transferred to the competent prosecutorial authority, translating digital investigations into tangible legal consequences,” Chainalysis wrote.For years, North Korea’s Lazarus Group has operated like a ghost in a machine, stealing billions of dollars with military-like precision before disappearing into a maze of cross-chain swaps and privacy mixers. But their most recent heist, the $1.5 billion Bybit hack, ran into an unexpected obstacle: a Greek AML team equipped with Chainalysis Reactor.According to Chainalysis, Reactor is a powerful forensic tool capable of piecing together fragmented transaction trails across more than 25 blockchains, even through obfuscation tactics like bridge hops and decentralized exchanges.When the HAML Authority identified a suspicious wallet, Reactor traced its connection back to the original Bybit exploit wallet, despite multiple layers of cross-chain laundering.The seizure marks a turning point in the fight against cryptocurrency crime: governments are no longer playing catch-up. HAML's collaboration with Chainalysis and Performance Technologies reflects successful models such as the FBI's Cryptocurrency Task Force, combining global infrastructure with local law enforcement expertise. Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis called the operation a "blueprint" for modern financial defense. It's also a direct blow to Lazarus, which, according to TRM Labs, has stolen an estimated $5 billion since 2017. Their usual strategy of flooding analysts with fast transactions failed this time. [Coin World]