Finance1 min read

Binance Hack: Inside 24 hours at crypto’s biggest-ever $6.3 bn internet bank robbery | Full story from 4:20 pm Thursday

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The emergency response began shortly after 4:20 PM on Thursday, 29 October, when abnormal outflows triggered an immediate shutdown of all user deposits and withdrawals. Binance mobilized an emergency unit of approximately 100 staff members, initially pointing to an infected laptop before uncovering other entry vectors across its systems. Tether and Circle successfully froze more than $2 billion in associated tokens, yet TRM Labs reported that $2.4 billion had already moved beyond freeze-capable channels.

Key points

  • Binance plans to absorb the financial losses directly while maintaining that user deposit…: Binance plans to absorb the financial losses directly while maintaining that user deposits remain fully protected.
  • Around $2.4 billion in stolen cryptocurrency was transferred beyond the administrative co…: Around $2.4 billion in stolen cryptocurrency was transferred beyond the administrative control of asset issuers before freezes could occur.
  • The assault represents an escalating wave of exchange exploits following a $1.5 billion t…: The assault represents an escalating wave of exchange exploits following a $1.5 billion theft from Bybit earlier in February 2025.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, was thrown into crisis on Thursday, 29 October, after a series of suspicious transactions triggered an unprecedented outflow of digital assets worth more than $6 billion. What initially appeared to be a possible security breach soon escalated into one of the biggest cryptocurrency thefts on record.

According to The New York Times (NYT) news report, Binance executives scrambled to contain the damage as funds moved out of the exchange's accounts. The company halted deposits and withdrawals, mobilised security teams and cryptocurrency tracking specialists, and assured customers that it would absorb any losses.

The attack was later attributed by blockchain analytics firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs to TraderTraitor, an elite North Korean hacking group. The FBI also confirmed the findings, according to NYT news report.

The incident has once again raised questions about the security of major cryptocurrency platforms, particularly as hackers become more sophisticated in exploiting vulnerabilities and moving stolen digital assets across the blockchain.

The first signs of trouble emerged at around 4:20 PM on Thursday, 29 October, when unusually large transactions began…

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