FBI attributes $6.3bn Binance hack to North Korean group TraderTraitor

The FBI has attributed the hack of cryptocurrency exchange Binance to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking group linked to the Lazarus network, after Binance disclosed the breach on Thursday.

Assets worth $6.3 billion — roughly 5.6 billion euros — were affected in what analysts are calling the largest exchange hack on record. Binance described it as a "complex attack" with multiple entry points and temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals. The attack may have been carried out through the laptop of an IT employee, the company said.

Analysis firm TRM Labs said it was "quite certain" TraderTraitor was responsible, citing multiple characteristics consistent with previous North Korean cyber-thefts. The FBI published its own attribution, confirming that assessment.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States was examining whether North Korea was behind the attack.