WASHINGTON – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused North Korea of orchestrating a cryptocurrency theft worth more than $6 billion targeting Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, identifying the hackers as members of the TraderTraitor group.
In a statement issued on October 31, 2026, the FBI said the theft occurred on or around October 29, with attackers stealing billions of dollars in digital assets from the cryptocurrency platform.
The agency attributed the operation to TraderTraitor, a hacking group linked to North Korea, which has previously been accused of conducting cyberattacks targeting cryptocurrency exchanges and other financial institutions.
According to the FBI, the attackers were converting the stolen funds primarily into Ethereum before moving them through multiple cryptocurrency services in an attempt to conceal their origins.
The agency warned cryptocurrency exchanges, decentralised finance (DeFi) platforms and other digital asset service providers against processing transactions involving wallet addresses associated with the theft.
It also published a list of cryptocurrency addresses linked to the operation, urging industry players to identify suspicious transactions and prevent the movement of the stolen funds.
The investigation involves several United States agencies, including the FBI, the US Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division.
North Korea has repeatedly been linked by international authorities to major cryptocurrency thefts, with hackers accused of exploiting security vulnerabilities and targeting digital asset platforms to generate revenue for the isolated country.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns about the vulnerability of cryptocurrency exchanges and the increasing use of cybercrime to steal and launder digital assets.
Binance has indicated that it has sufficient financial resources to absorb the losses. Reports suggest the exchange has replenished approximately 90 per cent of the stolen assets.
The FBI’s warning places cryptocurrency service providers on alert as investigators and industry players work to trace the stolen funds and prevent their conversion into usable assets.
