Washington (United States) (AFP) – Cryptocurrency exchange Binance reported this Sunday that it had resumed withdrawals after more than $6 billion in virtual assets were stolen in a major cyberattack.
First modification: 11/01/2026 - 08:25 Last modification: 11/01/2026 - 19:49
News of the hack — considered the largest cryptocurrency theft to date — caused a sharp drop in the prices of most major cryptocurrencies on Friday.
The company, the largest cryptocurrency marketer in the world, guaranteed that it will cover the losses resulting from the attack, noting that it has used its own funds to acquire tokens with which to replace 90% of what was stolen.
After the attack, Binance suspended user withdrawals, but indicated that they would resume gradually; The first phase of this process began on Sunday.
Between 06:00 and 15:30 GMT, the platform reported that it had processed $4.65 billion in withdrawals and $1.01 billion in deposits.
The net outflow of $3.64 billion represented approximately 2.1% of the company's total assets under management.
The US FBI accused North Korea of being behind the cyberattack in a statement issued on Saturday, confirming previous suspicions by private investigators and analysts that a group linked to Pyongyang, called TraderTraitor, was responsible.
That same group is credited with the theft of $1.5 billion from the Bybit platform in February of last year.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the Binance cryptocurrency platform" around October 29, the FBI said in a statement.
The company assured that it would cover the losses derived from the cyberattack by purchasing tokens with its own funds, in order to replace 90% of what was stolen.
The FBI added that "members of TraderTraitor" are converting the stolen assets into Ethereum and that it expected these to be further laundered by conversion through decentralized finance and instant exchange services.
The law enforcement agency urged private sector entities "to block transactions with, or derived from, addresses that TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets."
However, US President Donald Trump questioned North Korea's involvement in the cyber attack.
"I'm not worried. We're gathering information. We don't know if it's North Korea," Trump told reporters at his Florida residence Saturday night.
Trump often proudly recalls the summits he held with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his first term.
Damage control
Binance suspended user withdrawals following the attack, but announced on Sunday that it was allowing them again.
The attack on Binance occurred against a backdrop of growing concern about the risk of advances in artificial intelligence compromising encryption and computer security systems.
Bitcoin plummeted almost 5% after the attack became known. Ethereum fell almost 6% and BNB, Binance's native cryptocurrency, lost almost 10%.
Binance said on Friday it was working to resolve what it called a "complex attack" with multiple "breach points."
The sheer scale of the attack has highlighted North Korea's ability to find illicit avenues of revenue.
TraderTraitor is believed to be part of the Lazarus Group, which rose to fame in 2014 when it was accused of hacking Sony Pictures in retaliation for "The Interview," a film that mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
© 2026 AFP
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