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SecurityWeekEduard Kovacs

FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist

Part of the TraderTraitor story · since 9 Mar

Developinglatest 1 hour ago22 articles11 outlets
9 Mar · The Hacker News first8 Jul18 AugNowThis article22nd of 22
  • 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. This article, 22nd of 22.

The FBI has formally attributed the record Binance cryptocurrency heist to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group, with officials urging the crypto industry to help prevents the stolen funds from being laundered. The attack occurred on 29 October, when hackers emptied Binance hot wallets across multiple blockchains and moved most of the proceeds within about 20 minutes. Binance values the loss at roughly $6.3 billion, making it the largest reported crypto theft to date.

Within hours, blockchain analytics firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis linked the operation to TraderTraitor. Binance initially speculated that a DevOps engineer’s compromised laptop could have started the intrusion and committed to covering losses. The FBI’s attribution, released on 31 October, notes that TraderTraitor actors have been converting stolen assets predominantly into Ethereum (ETH) and predicts continued laundering via DeFi and instant swap services as the operation evolves. The alert identifies 608 Ethereum addresses, 19 Bitcoin addresses and one Solana address that currently hold or previously held proceeds from the theft.

The FBI, working with the US Secret Service and IRS-CI, has called on THORChain node operators, RPC node operators, instant exchanges, DeFi services and blockchain analytics firms to refuse transactions linked to these addresses. Binance has since said the incident involved more than a single compromised device and described the attack as complex, with a self-destruct mechanism that erased tooling and evidence.

It began restoring withdrawals on 1 November, starting with Bitcoin, reporting about $4.6 billion in withdrawals and $1 billion in deposits processed by mid-morning. Elliptic estimates the total at $6.43 billion across 11 chains, with around $2.85 billion confirmed as frozen or seized; the attacker is alleged to control roughly $3.25 billion in assets across more than 800 addresses, including large ETH, BTC and XRP holdings, and the laundering is described as automated, potentially spanning months.

How the story developed

All 22 articles
Developinglatest 1 hour ago22 articles11 outlets

22 articles from 11 outlets since 9 Mar. Still developing; the latest report was 1 hour ago. This was the 22nd report, 238 days after the first.

Now9 Mar2529162535 Sep172641119First reportThe Hacker News · 9 Mar, 16:26This article22nd of 22 · day 238Picked 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. This article, 22nd of 22.
  • No CVE
  • Larger: an outlet’s first report
  • Coverage over time
  • Quiet time, folded
Show all 22 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 2382
    1. North Korean groups use AI to accelerate cyber operations09:00 · SecurityOnline
    2. FBI Links North Korea’s TraderTraitor to Binance Heist09:30 · SecurityWeek · This article, 22nd of 22

Sources

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