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SecurityQuiet 9d · day 11

FBI Blames North Korea's TraderTraitor for Record $6B Binance Hack

The bureau publicly attributed the largest crypto heist ever to a North Korean state hacking unit, extending a decade-long pattern of billion-dollar cyber heists.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 9d ago3 pieces Google NewsMastodonNewswires

What to know

  • FBI's attribution on October 31 is the first official confirmation that North Korea was behind the Binance hack, the largest crypto theft on record at about $6 billion.
  • The attack fits a long-running pattern: North Korean hacking units (Lazarus Group/TraderTraitor) have hit Sony Pictures (2014) and attempted a $1 billion theft from the NY Fed (2016).
  • A UN panel found North Korea's cyberattacks generate about half the regime's foreign currency income, funding its military and nuclear programs.
  • Technical specifics remain unsettled: Binance first pointed to a compromised engineer laptop, then said it found additional breach points.

“additional points of breach”

Binance, Cryptocurrency exchange · The Business Times ↗ · Nov 1

TraderTraitor North Korean hacking unitLazarus Group North Korean state-backed hacking syndicateKim Jong UnKim Jong Un North Korean leaderBinance World's largest cryptocurrency exchangeFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) US law enforcement agency

FBI Blames North Korea's TraderTraitor for Record $6B Binance Hack
businesstimes.com.sg

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in 3h at Oct 31, 9 AM; 3 pieces over 11 days (2 articles · 1 post) Oct 31, 9 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 3 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Oct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 2 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 2 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — quietNov 2, 2 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 2 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 2 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 5 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 11 AM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 5 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 11 PM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 5 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 11 AM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 5 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 11 PM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 5 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 11 AM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 5 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 2 AM — quiet ◂ 1 earlier2
Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9now · 5:48 AM ET
  1. 2

    Reporting situates hack in decade of North Korean cyber heists

    Coverage traced the attack to a known pattern, citing the 2014 Sony Pictures hack over 'The Interview' and the 2016 attempt to steal $1 billion from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York via the Bangladesh Central Bank, both linked to the same regime-backed hacking apparatus (Lazarus Group/TraderTraitor).

    “act of terrorism…”
    — Kim Jong Un, North Korean leader · source
    1. 1 outlet North Korean Hackers Stole Billions, the F.B.I. Says. It’s Not Their First Heist.

      first by The New York Times, 10d ago

  2. 1

    FBI attributes the Binance hack to North Korea's TraderTraitor

    The FBI said North Korea was responsible for the attack, the first official acknowledgment of the regime's role in what it called the biggest cryptocurrency heist in history, and said it had observed the hackers converting stolen assets into ethereum.

    1. 1 outlet North Korean hackers stole billions, the FBI says. It's not their first heist

      first by The Business Times, 9d ago

  3. background

    Binance says it found 'additional points of breach' — In a Friday update, Binance said it had identified further intrusion points beyond the initially suspected compromised laptop, as the scope of the attack became clearer.

  4. background

    Binance discloses roughly $6 billion stolen by hackers — Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, announced that hackers had made off with about $6 billion, initially saying the attackers may have compromised an engineer's laptop to make unauthorized withdrawals.