Chainalysis Says AI Helped Trace $387M Bitget Theft Across Blockchains

Chainalysis said it used in-house artificial intelligence and custom automation to investigate the approximately $387 million stolen from Bitget on September 24, 2026.

In an October 1 report, the blockchain analytics company said the stolen funds moved across Ethereum, XRP, Zcash, and Tron. It described the operation as a DPRK-attributed attack.

The attribution should be treated as Chainalysis's assessment, not as an independently confirmed finding in the available evidence. Separate reporting has characterized the alleged North Korean connection as likely or suspected.

According to Chainalysis, the incident pushed cryptocurrency theft attributed to North Korean actors in 2026 above $1 billion.

AI-assisted tracing focused on bridge activity

Chainalysis said investigators built custom automation using its in-house AI capabilities to follow funds through multiple blockchains. The company framed the work as an effort to address the complexity created when stolen assets are moved through bridges and across networks.

The company estimated that a process requiring more than 20 hours of manual bridge reconciliation could be completed in under 10 minutes with the automation. That estimate is Chainalysis's own assessment of the workflow improvement.

The case illustrates a security-focused use of AI in cryptocurrency analysis: reducing the time required to organize and reconcile transaction paths, rather than making an independent determination of who conducted an attack.

The alleged theft moved across four networks

Chainalysis said approximately $387 million was taken from Bitget and subsequently moved across Ethereum, XRP, Zcash, and Tron. Its report tied the use of AI to tracing this cross-chain activity.

The available evidence supports the reported scale of the theft and the networks named by Chainalysis. It does not independently establish responsibility for the incident.

AI tools are increasingly being applied to crypto infrastructure and transaction workflows, including projects focused on payment and API systems.

Attribution remains qualified

Chainalysis characterized the attack as DPRK-attributed and said the theft lifted 2026 crypto theft associated with North Korean actors above $1 billion. The company did not provide independently verified confirmation of North Korean responsibility in the evidence available here.

The distinction matters because blockchain tracing can map movements of funds and identify patterns, while attribution to a state-linked actor remains an analytical conclusion that may depend on additional intelligence and evidence.

Readers should therefore distinguish between Chainalysis's reported tracing results and its attribution assessment.

Continue reading: private AI API payments on BTCNews.

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Sources

• Chainalysis: How AI Helped Chainalysis Investigators Trace the $387 Million North Korea Stole from Bitget
• Decrypt: Chainalysis Used AI to Trace the $387M Bitget Hack Back to North Korea
• TRM Labs: Bitget Loses USD 351.6 Million in Hot Wallet Breach in Likely North Korea Attack

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