Bankrupt FTX claims hackers stole $415 million worth of cryptocurrency from its accounts

Hackers stole $415 million worth of cryptocurrency from the accounts of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, CNBC reported, citing a report from the company's lawyers and advisors.

According to them, hackers broke into the FTX system in 2022. Тhey managed to steal $323 million from the international company FTX.com and another $90 million from its U.S. unit in November, after the collapse of the crypto exchange. Another $2 million was withdrawn from the hedge fund Alameda Research. Immediately after it became known about the hacking attack, it was reported that more than $600 million was stolen from the exchange. And according to analytics company Elliptic, the stolen cryptocurrency was valued at $477 million at the time.

The hackers who carried out the attack have never been identified, but some experts believe the attack was orchestrated or coordinated by someone close to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and the complex and coordinated actions of the attackers may indicate the involvement of an FTX employee.

In a report titled "Maximizing FTX Recoveries," FTX lawyers and consultants present an updated amount of recoverable liquid assets for the company of about $5.5 billion. That amount also includes the estate of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in the Bahamas, which is valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. At the same time, Bankman-Fried, a former billionaire himself, in a short period of time has lost almost all of his fortune –  $15.6 billion. Now he has about 100 thousand dollars left on his account.

Immediately after the bankruptcy of FTX, the founder and former CEO of the crypto exchange Sam Bankman-Fried was charged by federal prosecutors with fraud and money laundering. Bankman-Fried pleaded not guilty to the charges. The trial is set for October 2023, and he has been released on $250 million bail in the meantime.