North Korea Blamed for Record $6.3 Billion Binance Crypto Heist
In what blockchain security experts are calling the largest cryptocurrency theft in history, hackers linked to North Korea’s elite TraderTraitor unit stole approximately $6.36 billion from Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, on October 29, 2026. The funds were moved from Binance hot wallets across 10 blockchains — including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, and Tron — in roughly 20 minutes.
Multiple blockchain intelligence firms, including TRM Labs, Chainalysis, and Elliptic, independently attributed the attack to TraderTraitor. They cited on-chain evidence linking the stolen Binance funds to last month’s Bitget theft, which was also blamed on North Korean actors. Investigators believe the breach originated from a compromised employee laptop, giving attackers access to Binance’s hot-wallet signing infrastructure.
Binance confirmed that user funds are safe and pledged to cover all customer losses. The exchange temporarily suspended withdrawals and worked with blockchain partners to freeze approximately $3 billion in affected assets. Withdrawals are expected to resume within days.
The FBI previously attributed the same hacking group to the $1.5 billion Bybit theft in February 2025. If confirmed, the Binance attack would amount to a significant portion of North Korea’s entire annual GDP.
Source: TechCrunch – North Korean hackers blamed for stealing record $6.3B in Binance breach