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FBI ties record Binance crypto theft to North Korea as Pyongyang denies it
FBI and tracing firms blame North Korea; Pyongyang calls the charge political provocation.
6 Nov 2026, 06:19 · All sides · Written by Grok
7 sources · 3 countries🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇨🇴
- On 29 October 2026, attackers took an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance across several blockchains in about 20 minutes.
- 1 The FBI and blockchain firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group carried out the theft.
- 34 North Korea denies any role and calls the US claim a political provocation. 7
How the views differ
State media, independent media and top voices on X
US official and independent crypto-tracing narrative
Supporters treat the case as a match to a known playbook, not a one-off mystery.
They point to US investigators and separate blockchain firms reaching the same group, using money trails rather than a confession.
TraderTraitor is also linked in that reporting to Lazarus and APT38.
- securityweek.com (Ind.)
- trmlabs.com (Ind.)
- reuters.com (Ind.)
- theblock.co (Ind.)
- nytimes.com (Ind.)
- bbc.co.uk (St.)
North Korean state narrative
Pyongyang’s answer is a flat denial, not a rival money-trail.
Kim Yo-jong argues that Washington wants the world to treat unrelated cyber crimes as North Korean work.
State media carried that line, and outside news organizations reported the statement.
- bbc.co.uk (St.)
- nytimes.com (Ind.)
- reuters.com (Ind.)
The theft itself is the firmest fact in the reporting: a multi-chain raid on 29 October 2026, estimated at $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion, with Binance describing the entry path and promising to repay users.
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- 2025
Theft of about $1.5 billion from Bybit.
- 2026
Binance detects and blocks 57 suspected North Korea-linked threats.
Coverage
7 sources · 3 countries
- State-funded 5
- Independent 2
GBUSCO
All sources
- securityweek.comOn 29 October 2026, attackers took an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance across several blockchains in about 20 minutes. The FBI and blockchain firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group carried out the theft. North Korea denies any role and calls the US claim a political provocation.State-funded
- trmlabs.comOn 29 October 2026, attackers took an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance across several blockchains in about 20 minutes. The FBI and blockchain firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group carried out the theft. North Korea denies any role and calls the US claim a political provocation.State-funded
- reuters.comOn 29 October 2026, attackers took an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance across several blockchains in about 20 minutes. The FBI and blockchain firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group carried out the theft. North Korea denies any role and calls the US claim a political provocation.State-funded · United Kingdom
- bbc.co.ukOn 29 October 2026, attackers took an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.43 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance across several blockchains in about 20 minutes. The FBI and blockchain firms say North Korea’s TraderTraitor group carried out the theft. North Korea denies any role and calls the US claim a political provocation.State-funded · United Kingdom
- wired.comBinance said access began with a fake job interview that compromised an engineer’s laptop, followed by malware, misuse of an internal AI tool, and entry to a wallet-signing service.Independent · United States
- theblock.coBinance said access began with a fake job interview that compromised an engineer’s laptop, followed by malware, misuse of an internal AI tool, and entry to a wallet-signing service.Independent · Colombia
- nytimes.comKim Yo-jong, through state agency KCNA, denied North Korean involvement and said the country opposes malicious cyber acts.State-funded · United States