FBI blames North Korea for Binance hack, says over $6bn stolen

What happened

The FBI has blamed North Korea for the attack on Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange. According to the bureau, the stolen virtual assets are worth more than $6bn.

The theft took place on or about 29 October. The FBI named the activity "TraderTraitor" and said it is working with other US agencies on the investigation.

Why it matters

This marks one of the largest heists in crypto history being formally tied to a state-linked actor. North Korea-linked groups have previously been associated with attacks on crypto exchanges.

Earlier coverage on this site traced the stolen amount from $5.6bn up to $6.3bn, noted that Binance temporarily halted withdrawals, and reported that the exchange said it had restored most of the missing funds. The FBI statement now provides an official attribution for the attack.

What's next

The US investigation continues. For crypto exchanges, state-linked attacks of this scale raise pressure on both custody security and regulatory scrutiny.