Users pull $3.6 bn from Binance as it reopens following $6.3 billion mega-hack – FBI says North Korean hacking group ‘TraderTraitor’ to blame, North Korea says nuh-uh

Customers withdrew about $4.65 billion from Binance in the first ten hours after it began reopening withdrawals on 1 November, following a cyberattack on 29 October. Roughly $1 billion was deposited over the same period, leaving a net outflow of about $3.6 billion. Binance had suspended withdrawals while it assessed the breach and carried out security checks. By 3 November, it said hourly deposits had begun to exceed withdrawals, although its cumulative net flow remained negative.

The attack moved an estimated $6.3 billion to $6.4 billion in cryptoassets from Binance wallets, making it the largest recorded cryptocurrency theft. The FBI attributed it to North Korean hackers it calls TraderTraitor and urged crypto services to block transactions linked to identified addresses. North Korea denied involvement, with official Kim Yo Jong rejecting the US allegation. Blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis said about $2.8 billion of the stolen assets had been frozen by 3 November; efforts to trace and recover the rest were continuing.