North Korean hackers allegedly steal $6 billion from Binance in World’s Largest Heist
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Fri, 30 Oct 2026, 13:38
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Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process. North Korean hackers were blamed for the previous record-high crypto hack, when they allegedly stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange.
Context & Background
✦The post North Korean hackers allegedly steal $6 billion from Binance in World’s Largest Heist appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
Key Figures & Named Entities
Thursday:Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process.Sunday:The crypto exchange expects withdrawal services to resume by Sunday morning.Crypto-tracing firm TRM Labs attributed the heist to an elite North Korean hacking unit “based on robust on and off-chain intelligence,” pointing out that “several features of this attack match earlier North Korea-linked heists.”Pangolin Intelligence, another blockchain-tracking firm based in Singapore, said it also believed that a North Korean hacking unit was behind the heist.“Analyzing the on-chain activity related to this hack and correlating with information gathered from previous known incidents,” an analyst with Pangolin Intelligence said, “led to the attribution.”“I think the cat and mouse game has barely begun yet,” the Pangolin Intelligence analyst added, noting that North Korea was likely poised to tap a network of money laundering organizations to try to cash out the stolen funds.$1.5 billion:North Korean hackers were blamed for the previous record-high crypto hack, when they allegedly stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange.
Outlook & Next Steps
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Key Takeaways
Verified Extract
✦Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process.
✦North Korean hackers were blamed for the previous record-high crypto hack, when they allegedly stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange.
✦The post North Korean hackers allegedly steal $6 billion from Binance in World’s Largest Heist appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
Key Facts:Thursday: Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process.Sunday: The crypto exchange expects withdrawal services to resume by Sunday morning.Crypto-tracing firm TRM Labs attributed the heist to an elite North Korean hacking unit “based on robust on and off-chain intelligence,” pointing out that “several features of this attack match earlier North Korea-linked heists.”Pangolin Intelligence, another blockchain-tracking firm based in Singapore, said it also believed that a North Korean hacking unit was behind the heist.“Analyzing the on-chain activity related to this hack and correlating with information gathered from previous known incidents,” an analyst with Pangolin Intelligence said, “led to the attribution.”“I think the cat and mouse game has barely begun yet,” the Pangolin Intelligence analyst added, noting that North Korea was likely poised to tap a network of money laundering organizations to try to cash out the stolen funds.$1.5 billion: North Korean hackers were blamed for the previous record-high crypto hack, when they allegedly stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange.2023: However, Zhao stepped down in 2023 after pleading guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws in the US.
Editorial Excerpt
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspend
Frequently Asked Questions About This Story
What is the key takeaway from this report?
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process.
What additional context is highlighted in this report?
North Korean hackers were blamed for the previous record-high crypto hack, when they allegedly stole $1.5 billion from Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange.
What timeline or key figures were confirmed?
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, suspended withdrawals after hackers broke into its digital wallets and stole $6 billion in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist ever.Binance said late Thursday night that its initial investigation indicated the hack went through an engineer’s laptop, “which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.”Blockchain evidence suggests the hack originated in North Korea, according to multiple crypto-tracing firms.A team of cryptocurrency firms managed to freeze about $3 billion of the stolen loot amid a frenetic battle with the hackers to find and control the digital money.Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said on X that the attack was not a “one-click” action, but rather a complex process.
