Binance Says Hackers Plotted $6.3 Billion Crypto Heist for Months

A report from the cryptocurrency exchange described a monthslong campaign involving fake job interviews that exploited an engineer’s work computer and an internal A.I. tool.

Binance Says Hackers Plotted $6.3 Billion Crypto Heist for Months

TL;DR

  • Hackers spent months preparing for the $6.3 billion heist at Binance.
  • The infiltration involved a fake job interview to lure an employee and plant tampered software.
  • An internal AI tool was used by hackers to reach the company's wallet systems.
  • The hackers gained control of two engineers' computers, one with software deployment permissions.
  • The theft involved draining Binance's hot wallets over nearly four hours.
  • This heist is the largest in the history of the crypto industry.
  • Binance has a history of legal issues, including a $4.3 billion penalty for anti-money-laundering law violations.
  • The FBI attributed the attack to North Korean hacking unit TraderTraitor, which North Korea denies.