Technology1 min read

Binance hackers used fake job interview to compromise computer before $6.3 billion attack

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The multi-stage intrusion began in June when an initial wallet developer downloaded a tampered artificial intelligence coding tool that exposed staff roles. Months later, attackers tricked a second developer into downloading malicious code during a fraudulent virtual job interview with a fictitious company's chief executive. The hacker eventually combined the second engineer's computer with credentials stolen from the first developer to execute the drain on October 29. In response, Binance apologized to customers and pledged to establish a dedicated security research fund while collaborating with major AI firms.

Key points

  • Federal investigators attributed the historic multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency theft t…: Federal investigators attributed the historic multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency theft to a North Korean hacking group.
  • The company has formally pledged to reimburse all customers who were affected by the brea…: The company has formally pledged to reimburse all customers who were affected by the breach.
  • Binance plans to boost investments in artificial intelligence detection systems and creat…: Binance plans to boost investments in artificial intelligence detection systems and create a security research fund.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

PARIS/NEW YORK, Nov 3 : Binance said on Tuesday hackers used a bogus job interview to compromise a computer and an internal artificial intelligence tool to gain control over the company's wallets before draining $6.3 billion worth of crypto, in what could be the largest-ever financial heist.

In a initial report into what went wrong, the world's largest crypto exchange detailed a sophisticated hacking endeavour that began with an advert for a tampered version of a coding tool in June and set in chain a series of security breaches that culminated in the theft of the crypto on October 29.

The FBI has blamed a North Korean hacking group, a claim North Korea has rejected. Binance has said it is repaying all customers who have lost funds through the hack.

Binance said that the attack started when an employee from its wallet developer team in June downloaded an AI tool that had been tampered with. The crypto exchange detected this, replaced the device and changed credentials but the employee's role and that of others on the wallet team were exposed…

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