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FBI links record $6.3B Binance hack to North Korean group TraderTraitor

The FBI attributed a record-breaking $6.3 billion hot wallet breach at Binance to the North Korean hacking group TraderTraitor, amid reports that the syndicate is leveraging artificial intelligence to expedite large-scale attacks.

An infographic chart from Bloomberg Economics comparing North Korea's revenue sources including digital asset theft and the Binance heist, alongside a photo of Kim Jong Un.
Image: @MarioNawfal

The FBI attributed Binance's roughly $6.3 billion hot wallet breach to TraderTraitor, an elite North Korean cyber outfit believed to consist of about a dozen members, according to Decrypt and Bloomberg reporting shared by commentator Mario Nawfal. The theft, which emptied Binance's hot wallet across multiple blockchains in approximately 20 minutes, is described as the largest crypto heist to date. In response to the incident, stablecoin issuers moved rapidly, with Tether freezing more than $1.5 billion in USDT and Circle freezing $823 million.[1][4][5][8]

Bloomberg reported that the group is now weaponizing artificial intelligence to fund Kim Jong Un's military expansion, noting that the single Binance attack equals roughly 75% of North Korea's estimated 2025 foreign earnings. Cybersecurity experts cited in the report stated that AI dramatically lowers the time and technical skill required to profile enterprise targets and execute social engineering tactics, such as fake job offers to gain entry to critical infrastructure. The same group was previously tied to the $1.5 billion Bybit theft.[1][2][4]

In interviews shared by journalist Laura Shin, security researchers addressed speculation surrounding Ethereum's EIP-7702 standard. Researcher Pablo Sabbatella clarified that the exploit was not caused by EIP-7702, while researcher @tanuki42_ noted the attack would have succeeded regardless of the upgrade, explaining that the standard merely made draining the assets across chains slightly faster.[3][6][7]

Key facts

  • The FBI attributed the $6.3 billion Binance hot wallet hack to the North Korean hacking collective TraderTraitor.
  • The Binance theft took approximately 20 minutes to drain assets across multiple blockchains.
  • Tether froze over $1.5 billion in USDT and Circle froze $823 million in connection with the Binance hack.
  • Bloomberg reported North Korean hackers are adopting AI tools to accelerate attacks and fund military programs.
  • A Bloomberg Economics estimate indicated the Binance theft equaled roughly 75% of North Korea's total estimated 2025 foreign earnings.
  • Security researchers Pablo Sabbatella and @tanuki42_ stated the Binance hack was not caused by EIP-7702.

Sources 路 5 sources

  1. MN

    Mario Nawfal@MarioNawfalPost on X 路

    馃嚢馃嚨 North Korea's hackers are getting an AI upgrade, and they're stealing BILLIONS to help bankroll Kim Jong Un's military. The FBI has linked the record-breaking $6.3 BILLION Binance hack to TraderTraitor, an elite North Korean hacking group believed to have just a dozen or so members. The theft took just 20 MINUTES. Their specialty is hunting BIG targets, infiltrating major crypto companies rather than stealing from individual investors. Now AI is making their operations faster and more sophisticated. Cybersecurity experts say it dramatically reduces the time and skills needed to research targets, understand their systems and prepare attacks. The hackers also use social engineering, including lucrative job offers, to get close to employees with access to critical systems. The same group was behind last year's $1.5 billion Bybit heist. And the money is helping fund North Korea's military expansion, with cyber thefts potentially covering a huge share of its weapons programs. Pyongyang used to counterfeit U.S. dollars. Now a handful of hackers can pull off billion-dollar heists in minutes. Source: Bloomberg / Writer: Julie

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  2. TS

    The Straits Times@straits_timesPost on X 路

    North Korea鈥檚 hackers supercharge crypto heists with AI skills https://t.co/uUxyQ6lVCr

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  3. LS

    Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X 路

    "This hack would have happened without [EIP-7702]. It just made it slightly faster," @tanuki42_ on the Binance hack. https://t.co/QyC7fQra4n

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  4. BL

    Bloomberg@businessPost on X 路

    The North Korean group of elite hackers accused of the world鈥檚 largest-ever crypto heist now has AI as a powerful new tool to swell Kim Jong Un鈥檚 coffers and fund his military expansion. Read more: https://t.co/j7Sx1ouq4J 馃摲: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg https://t.co/3NYeW1xe6s

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  5. LS

    Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X 路

    "Essentially, what looked like had happened was the assets that had been held in the Binance hot wallet across multiple chains had been drained ... This was similar to what we saw when Bybit was hacked, when WazirX was hacked, when Bitget was hacked," @tanuki42_ on the Binance hack. https://t.co/igVPrKxOYN

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  6. LS

    Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X 路

    How North Korea Pulled Off the $6.3B Binance Hack https://t.co/Kp5h17IfTb

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  7. LS

    Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X 路

    "When EIP-7702 was being designed, I remember that ( tweeted about this. I said I don't like this too much because it would allow basically for drainers to drain more transactions. But anyways what we have to make clear is that the hack was not due to this," @PabloSabbatella on the Binance hack. https://t.co/Y06m2U6Q0w

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  8. DE

    Decrypt@DecryptMediaPost on X 路

    Who was behind Binance's $6.3B hack? @Tyler_Did_It breaks down the FBI's TraderTraitor attribution, how the hot wallet was drained, and the $1.5B+ Tether and $823M Circle freezes. https://t.co/Otpqa2Mmum

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