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SecurityWeekEduard Kovacs

Binance details $6.34 billion theft linked to North Korean group

Part of the TraderTraitor story · since 9 Mar

Developinglatest 1 hour ago28 articles11 outlets
9 Mar · The Hacker News first8 Jul18 Aug28 SepNowThis article28th of 28
  • 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. This article, 28th of 28.

Binance has published its initial incident report detailing a months-long campaign that culminated in a breach of its wallet signing systems, leading to a theft of about $6.34 billion in cryptocurrency. The firm says three engineers’ computers were compromised, one via a fake job interview, with roughly $2.85 billion of the stolen assets subsequently frozen or intercepted.

The FBI attributes the attack to TraderTraitor, a North Korean state-sponsored group, and Binance notes it detected and blocked 57 suspected North Korea‑linked threats this year.

The attack unfolded in stages, leveraging fake recruiters, compromised downloads, hijacked devices and an internal AI tool. A Wallet DevOps engineer first encountered a tampered Homebrew installation while seeking a popular AI coding tool, enabling the attackers to gain insight into wallet infrastructure.

In September, another engineer faced a two‑part interview with an HR impostor and an alleged CEO of a fictitious company; the second interview ended with a malicious coding assignment downloaded to the engineer’s work computer. The 0‑day malware substituted a rogue component of a legitimate tool, opening a channel to an attacker-controlled server.

By October, the infected machines allowed the attackers to sign into a third engineer’s system, deploy a container with credential access, and initiate transfers via an internal wallet signing service.

Binance reports the attackers abused Ethereum’s EIP-7702 mechanism to obtain partial execution rights over a hot wallet, and notes that despite suspending withdrawals, some unauthorised movements persisted due to on‑chain authorisations. The firm has rebuilt the affected wallet system, replaced devices, retired credentials, and engaged independent security firms to review the incident, while pursuing a research fund for AI security in blockchain environments. Withdrawals have been resumed in phases. The laundering activity involved thousands of wallets across multiple blockchains in under four days.

How the story developed

All 28 articles
Developinglatest 1 hour ago28 articles11 outlets

28 articles from 11 outlets since 9 Mar. Still developing; the latest report was 1 hour ago. This was the 28th report, 240 days after the first.

Now9 Mar2631119285 Sep172641119First reportThe Hacker News · 9 Mar, 16:26This article28th of 28 · 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. This article, 28th of 28.
  • CVE not in KEV
  • No CVE
  • Larger: an outlet’s first report
  • Coverage over time
  • Quiet time, folded
Show all 28 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 2402
    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 · This article, 28th of 28

Sources

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