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FBI says North Korea stole billions from Binance; Trump withholds judgment
FBI and blockchain firms blame North Korea; Trump says the link is not confirmed.
2 Nov 2026, 06:24 · All sides · Written by Grok
12 sources · 4 countries🇺🇸 🇶🇦 🇨🇴 🇰🇷
- On or about October 29, 2026, hackers stole billions of dollars in crypto from the exchange Binance.
- The FBI and two blockchain-tracing firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group, linked to the Lazarus network, did it.
- Binance says it has covered most of the loss itself, while President Trump says it is not yet known whether North Korea was responsible.
How the views differ
U.S. law-enforcement and blockchain-tracing analysts who tie the theft to Pyongyang
The FBI has named TraderTraitor, a group it links to Lazarus, as the team behind the Binance theft.
Two firms that follow stolen crypto on public blockchains, TRM Labs and Chainalysis, reached the same conclusion with high confidence, using records on the chain and intelligence from off it.
People who accept this account say it matches a known pattern of North Korean cyber theft used to raise money for the regime.
- irishtimes.com (Ind.)
- cbsnews.com (Ind.)
- pcmag.com (Ind.)
- aljazeera.com (St.)
- coindesk.com (Ind.)
- elliptic.co (Ind.)
the president and skeptics who call the North Korea blame unproven or political
President Trump said he was not worried, that officials were still learning, and that it is not known if North Korea did it.
He said that if Pyongyang is later shown to be responsible, the United States will talk to North Korea about it, and that Binance told officials the situation was under control.
Critics treat the FBI’s firm language as a claim still open to doubt, not as a finished fact.
- koreatimes.co.kr (Ind.)
- pbs.org (St.)
- tech-insider.org (Ind.)
- View B — @ManOfTheLibrary: “This might be the funniest lie of the year from the FBI. 195 countries and North Korea was the one to hack Binance…. 🥴” [X post]() Open on X ↗
The theft is the solid part. Binance reported a breach that began with a compromised engineer’s laptop, and both the FBI and specialist tracing firms describe a multi-billion-dollar loss around October 29, 2026. The dollar figures do not match exactly: the FBI said more than $6 billion; TRM Labs, Chainalysis, and several headlines put it near $6.3–6.4 billion. The North Korea attribution is the strongest public explanation so far, not a closed proof.
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- 2014
11: U.S. authorities attribute a breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment to North Korean actors.
- 2016
02: Bangladesh Bank reports an $81 million theft; investigators link the operation to North Korea’s Lazarus Group.
Coverage
12 sources · 4 countries
- State-funded 10
- X / on the ground 2
USQACOKR
All sources
- coindesk.comThe FBI said TraderTraitor stole more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance and urged others to block listed addresses, with stolen coins being turned mainly into Ethereum ahead of further moves through DeFi and swap services. CoinDesk Al JazeeraState-funded
- aljazeera.comThe FBI said TraderTraitor stole more than $6 billion in virtual assets from Binance and urged others to block listed addresses, with stolen coins being turned mainly into Ethereum ahead of further moves through DeFi and swap services. CoinDesk Al JazeeraState-funded · Qatar
- cbsnews.comTRM Labs and Chainalysis attributed a roughly $6.3–6.4 billion theft, across several blockchains and mostly within about 20 minutes, to those actors with high confidence. CBS News Elliptic PCMagState-funded · United States
- elliptic.coTRM Labs and Chainalysis attributed a roughly $6.3–6.4 billion theft, across several blockchains and mostly within about 20 minutes, to those actors with high confidence. CBS News Elliptic PCMagState-funded · Colombia
- pcmag.comTRM Labs and Chainalysis attributed a roughly $6.3–6.4 billion theft, across several blockchains and mostly within about 20 minutes, to those actors with high confidence. CBS News Elliptic PCMagState-funded
- FBI (U.S. government) — official alert via multiple outlets.Binance said the breach began with a compromised engineer’s laptop and other entry points, that company funds have covered about 90–95% of losses, and that withdrawals have resumed in phases. Al Jazeera Irish TimesState-funded
- pbs.orgPresident Trump said he was not concerned, that officials were still learning, and that it is not known whether North Korea was responsible. PBS Korea TimesState-funded · United States
- koreatimes.co.krPresident Trump said he was not concerned, that officials were still learning, and that it is not known whether North Korea was responsible. PBS Korea TimesState-funded · South Korea
- biz.heraldcorp.comNo public statement from North Korean state media, including KCNA or Rodong Sinmun, directly addressing or denying this incident was identified. HeraldState-funded
- tech-insider.orgSources: President Trump via Korea Times, PBS, tech-insider.org, Izvestia as cited in secondary reporting, X users including @ManOfTheLibraryState-funded
- @ManOfTheLibraryView B — @ManOfTheLibrary: “This might be the funniest lie of the year from the FBI. 195 countries and North Korea was the one to hack Binance…. 🥴” X postX / on the ground
- @shaggybullView B — @shaggybull: “Trump at odds with FBI as he disputes assertion that North Korea was behind 'biggest hack in history'.” X postX / on the ground