FBI Attributes $6.3 Billion Binance Crypto Heist to North Korea-Linked TraderTraitor Group

Summary

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has attributed the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance to TraderTraitor, a North Korea-aligned hacking group also tracked as Jade Sleet, Pressure Chollima, PUKCHONG, Slow Pisces and UNC4899. The FBI made the attribution together with the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation. The theft hit Binance on October 29. The Verge reports that the agency has observed actors it connects to the hack converting the tokens to Ethereum and preparing to launder the funds, though it offered few other details. PBS reports that the bureau tied the attack to the same actors behind a $1.5 billion Bybit hack last year. Outlets differ on the amount: The Hacker News reports $6.43 billion, while Euronews, The Verge, PBS and BleepingComputer report $6.3 billion. BleepingComputer describes it as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record. Euronews, citing CISA, describes TraderTraitor as a North Korean state-sponsored group linked to cryptocurrency thefts since at least 2020. Semafor reports that the theft dealt a blow to the sector's dream of becoming a mainstream asset.

Timeline

1. The Hacker News

   1 Nov 2026, 07:03 UTCSource ↗

   The Hacker News reports that the FBI, with the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation, attributed the record $6.43 billion Binance crypto theft to TraderTraitor, a North Korea-aligned group also tracked as Jade Sleet, Pressure Chollima, PUKCHONG, Slow Pisces and UNC4899.

2. Euronews

   1 Nov 2026, 08:15 UTCSource ↗

   Euronews reports that the FBI blames North Korea for a $6.3 billion Binance crypto hack and, citing CISA, describes TraderTraitor as a North Korean state-sponsored group linked to cryptocurrency thefts since at least 2020.

3. The Verge

   1 Nov 2026, 14:33 UTCSource ↗

   The Verge reports that the FBI says North Korea was behind the $6.3 billion heist that hit Binance on October 29, and that the agency has observed actors it connects to the hack converting the tokens to Ethereum and preparing to launder the funds.

4. PBS

   1 Nov 2026, 16:20 UTCSource ↗

   PBS reports that the FBI said in a statement the attack was tied to malicious cyber activity by TraderTraitor, the same actors behind a $1.5 billion Bybit hack last year.

5. BleepingComputer

   1 Nov 2026, 19:57 UTCSource ↗

   BleepingComputer reports that the FBI confirmed North Korean state-sponsored hackers known as TraderTraitor were behind the $6.3 billion Binance theft, which it calls the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.

6. Semafor

   1 Nov 2026, 22:31 UTCSource ↗

   Semafor reports that the FBI said North Korea was responsible for stealing $6.3 billion from Binance the previous week in the largest-ever crypto heist, a blow to the sector's dream of becoming a mainstream asset.