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FBI attributes $6.3 billion Binance heist to North Korea

Part of the TraderTraitor story · since 9 Mar

Developinglatest 2 hours ago26 articles11 outlets
9 Mar · The Hacker News first8 Jul18 Aug28 SepNowThis article26th of 26
  • 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. This article, 26th of 26.

The article reports that Binance suffered a substantial breach, with attackers draining 6.3 billion dollars from its hot wallets after compromising administrative credentials obtained beforehand. It notes that around 3 billion dollars across various chains was frozen by exchanges and collaborators, but the remaining funds were allegedly moved and are under forensic tracing by international law enforcement.

The piece attributes the operational origins to the North Korean state‑sponsored cluster named TraderTraitor, citing an official FBI alert and blockchain analyses that allegedly link the campaign to prior exchange intrusions through overlapping cryptographic addresses.

North Korean authorities are described as denying the allegations, with Pyongyang accusing Western intelligence of political defamation. The article references a Bloomberg report in which NK officials challenge the attribution and suggest investigators should examine the ultimate beneficiaries, even speculating about possible involvement by domestic American actors.

It also mentions remarks from the United States President, implying ongoing evaluation of technical indicators while maintaining the possibility of Pyongyang’s involvement. Beyond the attribution dispute, the piece stresses the broader consequence for hot wallet security in centralised exchanges, arguing that keeping large reserves in internet‑faced wallets creates single points of failure and emphasising the need for cryptographic auditing and decentralised signing schemes.

The report bases its claims on the FBI alert, accompanying forensic work, and contemporaneous media coverage, and notes that financial authorities are monitoring linked wallets to restrict liquidity routes.

How the story developed

All 26 articles
Developinglatest 2 hours ago26 articles11 outlets

26 articles from 11 outlets since 9 Mar. Still developing; the latest report was 2 hours ago. This was the 26th report, 239 days after the first.

Now9 Mar2631018275 Sep172641119First reportThe Hacker News · 9 Mar, 16:26This article26th of 26 · day 239Picked 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. This article, 26th of 26.
  • CVE not in KEV
  • No CVE
  • Larger: an outlet’s first report
  • Coverage over time
  • Quiet time, folded
Show all 26 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 · This article, 26th of 26

Sources

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