Finance1 min read

Crypto's biggest heist: $6.3 B stolen in 20 mins

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The rapid assault on Binance's transaction authorization system allowed perpetrators to issue fraudulent withdrawal instructions across multiple digital asset classes in less than half an hour. Blockchain analytics specialists from TRM Labs and Chainalysis observed technical hallmarks pointing toward the North Korean actors previously implicated by the FBI in the Bybit intrusion. Although issuers such as Tether, Circle, Ripple, and World Liberty Financial managed to freeze stablecoins, an estimated $2.4 billion held in bitcoin and ether cannot be stopped. Furthermore, on-chain tracking revealed that proceeds from this incident are already being commingled with funds extracted during last mo…

Key points

  • Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng confirmed that affected users will be fully reimbursed using…: Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng confirmed that affected users will be fully reimbursed using corporate resources alongside the firm's $1 billion emergency fund.
  • Blockchain investigators noted strong similarities between this intrusion and prior opera…: Blockchain investigators noted strong similarities between this intrusion and prior operations attributed to North Korea, including the Bybit attack.
  • The unprecedented security failure shook investor confidence, driving down overall crypto…: The unprecedented security failure shook investor confidence, driving down overall cryptocurrency prices and shrinking the aggregate market value of stablecoins.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The attackers drained funds from wallets used by Binance to process transactions, with the bulk of the theft unfolding within around 20 minutes, according to blockchain records.

Also Read: Binance hack update: Will you lose your Bitcoin? Who stole the money, where has the stolen $6.3 billion gone, and how much has been recovered?

Here’s everything we know so far.

What happened in the Binance cyberattack?

Around $6.3 billion worth of cryptocurrencies were drained from wallets Binance uses to process transactions.The exchange initially suspected that the attack involved a compromised laptop. However, its subsequent investigation uncovered additional points of breach, Binance said in a statement on X, without providing further details.

According to US-based blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs, the attackers compromised Binance's "signing infrastructure", which authorises transactions. This allowed them to issue instructions that emptied the affected wallets.

Also Read: Biggest crypto heist in history: How Binance’s $6 billion hack rattled markets and what it means for investors?

The bulk of the theft unfolded within approximately 20 minutes, beginning shortly after 2000 GMT on Thursday.

"In layman's terms, the…

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