FBI says North Korea was behind the Binance cryptocurrency exchange hack

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that North Korea is responsible for hacking the Binance cryptocurrency exchange and stealing more than $6 billion in virtual assets. According to the bureau, the theft occurred around 29 October 2026, in what is described as the largest cyberattack in the history of cryptocurrencies. The finding may affect exchange security requirements and how market participants handle suspicious transactions.

Who is blamed

The FBI attributes the attack to the North Korean hacking group "TraderTraitor". The bureau stated officially that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) bears responsibility for the theft of virtual assets from Binance around 29 October.

How the stolen funds are being handled

Together with the US Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation unit (IRS-CI), the FBI has observed that the hackers are mostly converting the stolen assets into Ethereum. The funds are expected to be laundered next through decentralized finance (DeFi) services and instant exchange services.

FBI appeal to the industry

The bureau urged THORChain node operators, RPC providers, exchange services, DeFi platforms, blockchain analytics companies and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions involving addresses used by the hackers. The FBI has published the list of these addresses.

Earlier developments

Overnight between 29 and 30 October, Binance suffered the largest cyberattack in crypto history, in which the attackers stole more than $6 billion.