In brief
The U.S. FBI announced on Saturday that North Korean hackers stole more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, calling the attack “TraderTraitor” and warning that the stolen funds were being laundered through Ethereum and other platforms. U.S. blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, cited by KMBC and WLWT, had earlier linked the theft to the same North Korean unit, while Express News confirms the FBI’s attribution. Exchanges are urged to block transactions linked to the culprits’ wallet addresses.
The FBI announced on Saturday that it had identified a $6+ billion theft from Binance as the work of North Korean hackers, according to a cyber alert released by the agency.
In the alert, the FBI said the operation, named TraderTraitor, had taken place around October 29, 2026, and that the stolen assets were largely converted into Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. The agency said it had observed the hackers working closely with the U.S. Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation division to launder the funds through decentralized finance platforms, and warned that further laundering was likely.
Earlier this week, U.S.-based blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs attributed the $6.36 billion theft to the same North Korean unit, a link reported by KMBC and WLWT. Express News also noted that the FBI had said North Korea and TraderTraitor were responsible for the hack, citing the same intelligence assessment.
The FBI’s announcement follows a recommendation from the three agencies urging cryptocurrency exchanges, blockchain operators, analytics firms and other virtual‑asset service providers to block transactions involving digital wallet addresses used by the North Korean hackers to launder the stolen funds.
According to the alert, the stolen assets have already been funneled into Ethereum and the agency warns that the hackers will continue to use other crypto platforms to move the money. Yahoo Splits
