Binance Confirms $6.3 B Hack, Replaces 90% of Losses, Withdrawals Remain Suspended

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, confirmed a security breach that investigators describe as the biggest crypto hack in history, with $6.3 billion in funds impacted.

The attack began late on Thursday 29 October and, according to blockchain analysts at TRM Labs and Chainalysis, unfolded over roughly 20 minutes, moving about $6.36 billion from Binance‑controlled wallets across ten blockchains, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Tron, Solana and the XRP Ledger.

Binance said the breach originated from a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop, which allowed unauthorized withdrawal transactions from the exchange’s hot wallets.

Following the incident, Binance suspended both deposits and withdrawals; deposits were later reported as unaffected, while withdrawals remain paused while the company rebuilds its withdrawal security.

Roughly half of the stolen assets have been frozen, and the exchange announced it has replaced 90 percent of the amount stolen.

Two cybersecurity research firms linked the hack to the Lazarus Group, a North Korean‑affiliated hacking collective.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has urged crypto platforms to block addresses tied to the hack, noting the operation’s connection to North Korea.

Binance’s response included the creation of a dedicated “war room” to coordinate remediation efforts and a plan to gradually reopen withdrawals.