A hacked laptop may have opened the door to Binance’s $6.3 billion breach
Binance says an initial investigation points to a compromised computer belonging to one of its engineers. Blockchain analysts have linked the attack to North Korea, while billions in assets have been frozen by crypto companies.
Hackers stole an estimated $6.3 billion from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in what analysts say could be the biggest crypto heist on record. The breach is likely to raise fresh questions about the risks of holding digital assets, particularly on centralized exchanges.
The hackers were linked to North Korea by U.S. blockchain analysis firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis. The attackers targeted Binance wallets across 10 blockchains and moved most of the funds within about 20 minutes, TRM Labs said in a statement.
Binance said it had worked with partners to freeze affected assets, with approximately $3 billion located so far. The exchange did not provide an update on the remaining $3.3 billion. Its co-founder, Yi He, said Binance would cover “all hacking losses.”
The exchange said customer deposits were unaffected and that it expected to resume withdrawal services withi...