The FBI blamed North Korea for the theft of over $6 billion from Binance
The FBI attributed the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance around Oct. 29 to North Korea’s TraderTraitor hacking operation. The $6.3 billion breach was described as a record crypto theft. The agency said it observed the stolen funds being converted primarily into Ethereum.
More context
An FBI alert blamed North Korea for the loss of more than $6 billion in Binance virtual assets, dated to on or about October 29, and named the hacking operation TraderTraitor. The estimated $6.3 billion loss makes it the largest known cryptocurrency theft. Blockchain intelligence firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis had also linked the attack to TraderTraitor. The FBI said it had observed the hackers converting stolen assets primarily into Ethereum. The FBI, Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation urged cryptocurrency firms and blockchain operators to block transactions involving addresses linked to the funds. Inc.com reported that Binance pledged to reimburse customers fully; Vocal.media said the company had replenished about 90% of the affected assets.
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Reporting
- A News — FBI says North Korea responsible for $6bn crypto hack - anews
- The Chosun Daily — FBI Identifies North Korea's TraderTraitor as Binance Hack Perpetrator
- Fox Business — FBI says North Korea stole over $6 billion in Binance crypto hack | Fox Business
- Anadolu Agency — Trump says US could discuss $6B Binance hack with North Korea
- vocal.media — Binance $6.3 Billion Hack: FBI Identifies North Korean Hackers – How They Entered, How Binance Is Recovering, and What's Next? | Trader
- bleepingcomputer.com — FBI links $6.3 billion Binance crypto heist to North Korean hackers
- inc.com — FBI Links Record $6.3 Billion Binance Crypto Heist to North Korea
Verifier’s note
Vocal Media, anews, Chosun.com, BleepingComputer, Fox Business, Inc.com, and Anadolu Agency report the FBI’s attribution of the Binance theft to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group, consistent with the proposed event. NewsCord describes itself as an automated aggregation of other outlets’ coverage rather than a direct report.