FBI says N. Korea responsible for over US$6 bln crypto theft from Binance - Yonhap News Agency
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has attributed the theft of over $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance to North Korean hackers.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announced Saturday that North Korea was responsible for stealing more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, earlier this week. The cyber alert specifically named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as the perpetrator of the theft that occurred on or about October 29, 2026.
The FBI identified the North Korean cyber operation as "TraderTraitor," a name previously linked to cryptocurrency thefts carried out by North Korean hackers. The agency observed the hackers converting stolen assets primarily into Ethereum, a major cryptocurrency, in cooperation with the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division.
Money Laundering Warning
The FBI warned that the hackers were expected to further launder the stolen assets through decentralized finance platforms and cryptocurrency exchange services that allow users to quickly swap one digital asset for another. The three U.S. agencies urged cryptocurrency exchanges, blockchain operators, analytics firms and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions involving digital wallet addresses used by the North Korean hackers.
The FBI is releasing information advising the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on or about October 29, 2026.
Previous Assessment
The FBI's announcement follows an assessment by U.S. blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, which earlier attributed the estimated $6.36 billion Binance theft to TraderTraitor. The massive theft represents one of the largest cryptocurrency heists in history, highlighting ongoing security challenges in the digital asset space.
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