It was a Bitcoin hack so big and complex that the laptop used to trace and recover the stolen coins will soon be on display at the Smithsonian. There was a recovery effort so grand it yielded 80% of the stolen Bitcoin and the largest forfeiture in the history of the Department of Justice.
The crypto exchange at issue is one of the world’s largest, Bitfinex. And now, with Bitcoin prices surging, its customers unexpectedly may have an opportunity to receive restitution in the coming months, as the hackers are sentenced to prison. The fight over who is entitled to share in the billions worth of recovered assets is about to get underway, and the outcome of that fight is sure to have far reaching consequences for the crypto industry and future victims of cybercrimes.