By — Bernard Condon, Associated Press Bernard Condon, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/fbi-says-north-korea-was-behind-6-3-billion-binance-heist-the-biggest-crypto-hack-in-history Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter FBI says North Korea was behind $6.3 billion Binance heist, the biggest crypto hack in history World Nov 1, 2026 11:20 AM EST NEW YORK (AP) — The theft of billions of dollars from Binance within a matter of minutes, the biggest crypto heist in history, was orchestrated by North Korean hackers, the FBI said Saturday. READ MORE: What to know about the $6.3B hack on Binance, likely the biggest-ever crypto theft The bureau said in a statement that this week's attack was tied to "malicious cyber activity" by an entity known as TraderTraitor, the same actors behind a $1.5 billion Bybit hack last year. The FBI asked crypto exchanges, blockchain analytics companies and others to block transactions linked to various addresses to make sure the money is not laundered to cover up its origins. It also said its probe found that TraderTraitor was converting stolen assets primarily into a cryptocurrency…
FBI says North Korea was behind $6.3 billion Binance heist, the biggest crypto hack in history
In short
The FBI attributed the record-setting theft to the North Korean group TraderTraitor, which previously executed a $1.5 billion attack against Bybit. Agents revealed that the perpetrators quickly converted stolen bitcoin into ethereum, with plans to channel the proceeds through instant swap services and decentralized finance mechanisms. Despite the bureau's formal attribution, President Donald Trump remarked that investigators have not yet definitively confirmed North Korea's role. Binance confirmed that it holds sufficient reserve currency to back 90% of the lost assets and promised full customer reimbursement.
Key points
- Binance stated that its matching reserves cover 90% of the missing funds and promised aff…: Binance stated that its matching reserves cover 90% of the missing funds and promised affected users will be reimbursed.
- Federal authorities have asked analytics firms and exchanges to freeze designated wallet…: Federal authorities have asked analytics firms and exchanges to freeze designated wallet addresses to halt money laundering.
- Experts believe the hackers will attempt to split the assets across smaller exchanges ove…: Experts believe the hackers will attempt to split the assets across smaller exchanges over several months to evade detection.