Binance Suffers $6.3 Billion Crypto Heist in Record-Breaking Theft

In what investigators are calling the largest cryptocurrency theft ever recorded, Binance—the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume—confirmed that attackers drained an estimated $6.3 billion from its hot wallets across approximately 10 blockchains on October 29–30, 2026.

The breach began around 20:05 UTC on October 29. Investigators say it originated from a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer, which allowed the attacker to access a service container and execute unauthorized withdrawal transactions.

Blockchain intelligence firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis have attributed the attack with high confidence to North Korea’s TraderTraitor hacking group, which has also been linked to the $1.5 billion Bybit theft in February 2025.

Working with stablecoin issuers including Tether, Circle, and Ripple, Binance has managed to freeze approximately $3 billion in stolen assets on-chain. Co-CEO Richard Teng pledged to cover all customer losses using Binance’s SAFU fund and company reserves, assuring users that “user funds are completely safe.”

Bitcoin fell more than 4% to $77,994 following news of the breach, rattling broader crypto markets.

Source: Yahoo Finance — Binance’s $6.3 Billion Hack: North Korea Linked to Record Theft