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Ars TechnicaDan Goodin

Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months

Part of the TraderTraitor story · since 9 Mar

Developinglatest 1 hour ago29 articles11 outlets
9 Mar · The Hacker News first8 Jul18 Aug28 SepNowThis article29th of 29
  • Mon 9 Mar, 16:26 UTC. The Hacker News, first report. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 10:21 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 19:27 UTC. Security Affairs, its first report on the story. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit.
  • Thu 23 Apr, 15:01 UTC. The Hacker News. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach.
  • Fri 1 May, 21:31 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks.
  • Mon 7 Sep, 11:26 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units.
  • Mon 21 Sep, 06:21 UTC. The Hacker News. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats.
  • Mon 28 Sep, 02:30 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests.
  • Mon 12 Oct, 09:11 UTC. SecurityOnline. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems.
  • Thu 29 Oct, 18:30 UTC. Microsoft, its first report on the story. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 08:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:30 UTC. SOCRadar, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 12:00 UTC. Infosecurity. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 13:00 UTC. Malwarebytes, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 14:30 UTC. Ars Technica, its first report on the story. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 19:30 UTC. Security Affairs. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 08:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 09:55 UTC. cybersixt, its first report on the story. How North Korea is laundering $6.4 billion stolen from Binance.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 20:30 UTC. Security Affairs. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 11:00 UTC. Infosecurity. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 19:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 23:30 UTC. Dark Reading. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses.
  • Tue 3 Nov, 10:30 UTC. SecurityOnline. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 10:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 11:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 17:00 UTC. Ars Technica. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months. This article, 29th of 29.

Binance has disclosed that the hackers who allegedly stole billions of dollars in cryptocurrency spent months planning the heist, employing social engineering alongside novel malware and other techniques. The company, with the FBI and TRM Security attributing the attack to North Korean actors, said the initial target was about $6.34 billion in crypto from Binance wallets, of which $2.85 billion has since been frozen or intercepted. Binance has set aside funds to cover the losses and points to a Proof of Reserves page for transparency.

The investigation describes a multi-stage campaign beginning no later than June. The first incident involved an engineer downloading a tampered version of Homebrew. In September, a legitimate job hunting platform delivered messages from someone posing as a project director, leading to a two-step interview process and a malicious assignment that installed 0-day malware on the engineer’s device.

The attackers used obfuscation and evasion techniques, including replacing a legitimate component with a malicious version and establishing attacker‑controlled communications. In October, the compromise spread to two additional engineers, with one wallet granting access to a container deployment.

On 20 October, the attackers used the compromised machine and an internal AI tool to seize more devices, and nine days later they moved assets via an on‑chain signing service, exploiting Ethereum’s EIP-7702 to grant partial execution rights to a malicious contract. Binance halted withdrawals and coordinated freezes, but on-chain authorisations required additional actions to revoke. TRM Security attributes laundering activity to TraderTraitor.

How the story developed

All 29 articles
Developinglatest 1 hour ago29 articles11 outlets

29 articles from 11 outlets since 9 Mar. Still developing; the latest report was 1 hour ago. This was the 29th report, 240 days after the first.

Now9 Mar2631119285 Sep172641119First reportThe Hacker News · 9 Mar, 16:26This article29th of 29 · day 240Picked up againafter 6 weeks quiet
  • Mon 9 Mar, 16:26 UTC. The Hacker News, first report. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 10:21 UTC. SecurityWeek, its first report on the story. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi.
  • Tue 21 Apr, 19:27 UTC. Security Affairs, its first report on the story. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit.
  • Thu 23 Apr, 15:01 UTC. The Hacker News. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach.
  • Fri 1 May, 21:31 UTC. Dark Reading, its first report on the story. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks.
  • Mon 7 Sep, 11:26 UTC. Infosecurity, its first report on the story. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units.
  • Mon 21 Sep, 06:21 UTC. The Hacker News. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats.
  • Mon 28 Sep, 02:30 UTC. SecurityOnline, its first report on the story. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests.
  • Mon 12 Oct, 09:11 UTC. SecurityOnline. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems.
  • Thu 29 Oct, 18:30 UTC. Microsoft, its first report on the story. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 08:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 09:30 UTC. SOCRadar, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 12:00 UTC. Infosecurity. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 13:00 UTC. Malwarebytes, its first report on the story. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 14:30 UTC. Ars Technica, its first report on the story. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Fri 30 Oct, 19:30 UTC. Security Affairs. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 08:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 09:55 UTC. cybersixt, its first report on the story. How North Korea is laundering $6.4 billion stolen from Binance.
  • Sun 1 Nov, 20:30 UTC. Security Affairs. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:00 UTC. SecurityOnline. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 09:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 11:00 UTC. Infosecurity. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 19:30 UTC. The Hacker News. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist.
  • Mon 2 Nov, 23:30 UTC. Dark Reading. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses.
  • Tue 3 Nov, 10:30 UTC. SecurityOnline. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 10:00 UTC. SecurityWeek. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 11:30 UTC. SecurityWeek. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group.
  • Wed 4 Nov, 17:00 UTC. Ars Technica. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months. This article, 29th of 29.
  • CVE not in KEV
  • No CVE
  • Larger: an outlet’s first report
  • Coverage over time
  • Quiet time, folded
Show all 29 articles as a list
  1. Mon 9 MarDay 01
    1. North Korea's UNC4899 uses AI IDE backdoor to seize crypto funds16:26 · The Hacker News · First report

  2. Quiet for 6 weeks

    Tue 21 AprDay 432
    1. North Korea linked hackers steal $290M from Kelp DAO DeFi10:21 · SecurityWeek · Picked up again
    2. Lazarus Group siphons $290M from Kelp DAO via LayerZero exploit19:27 · Security Affairs

  3. Quiet for 2 days

    Thu 23 AprDay 451
    1. North Korean hackers steal $290m via LayerZero KelpDAO breach15:01 · The Hacker News

  4. Quiet for 8 days

    Fri 1 MayDay 531
    1. North Korea Holds 76% of Stolen Crypto in 2026 After Big Hacks21:31 · Dark Reading · Picked up again

  5. Quiet for 18 weeks

    Mon 7 SepDay 1821
    1. Researchers Map Lazarus Into Six North Korean Cyber Units11:26 · Infosecurity · Picked up again

  6. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Mon 21 SepDay 1961
    1. Jade Sleet Breach Exposes Backdoors and Rising AI Threats06:21 · The Hacker News · Picked up again

  7. Quiet for 7 days

    Mon 28 SepDay 2031
    1. North Korean Hackers Hide macOS Backdoors in Fake Coding Tests02:30 · SecurityOnline · Picked up again

  8. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Mon 12 OctDay 2171
    1. Fake Terraform AWS provider installs backdoors on developer systems09:11 · SecurityOnline · Picked up again

  9. Quiet for 2 weeks

    Thu 29 OctDay 2341
    1. Microsoft reports North Korean groups expanding AI operations18:30 · Microsoft · Picked up again
  10. Fri 30 OctDay 2357
    1. North Korea’s TraderTraitor linked to $6.36 billion Binance heist08:30 · SecurityWeek
    2. Binance probe traces $6.36 billion hack to DevOps breach09:00 · SecurityOnline
    3. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft from its hot wallets09:30 · SOCRadar
    Show 4 more from 30 Oct
    1. Analysts attribute Binance’s $6.3bn hack to North Korean group12:00 · Infosecurity
    2. Binance reports $6.3 billion theft linked to North Korean group13:00 · Malwarebytes
    3. TRM Labs links record $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea14:30 · Ars Technica
    4. TRM Labs attributes $6.3 billion Binance theft to North Korea19:30 · Security Affairs

  11. Quiet for 2 days

    Sun 1 NovDay 2373
    1. FBI blames North Korea group for $6.43 billion Binance heist08:30 · The Hacker News
    2. How North Korea is laundering $6.4 billion stolen from Binance09:55 · cybersixt
    3. FBI blames North Korea linked group for Binance theft20:30 · Security Affairs
  12. Mon 2 NovDay 2385
    1. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations09:00 · SecurityOnline
    2. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist09:30 · SecurityWeek
    3. FBI links Binance crypto breach to North Korea’s TraderTraitor11:00 · Infosecurity
    Show 2 more from 2 Nov
    1. FBI blames North Korean TraderTraitor for $6.43 billion heist19:30 · The Hacker News
    2. Binance Hack Shows How One Laptop Led to Billions in Losses23:30 · Dark Reading
  13. Tue 3 NovDay 2391
    1. FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea10:30 · SecurityOnline
  14. Wed 4 NovDay 2403
    1. North Korea protests US claims linking hackers to Binance heist10:00 · SecurityWeek
    2. Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group11:30 · SecurityWeek
    3. Binance says hackers planned $6.3 billion crypto heist for months17:00 · Ars Technica · This article, 29th of 29

Sources

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