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Binance crypto hack

Binance deals with security incident, user funds are safe, suspends deposits and withdrawals, $6.3 billion impacted.

Updated 11:51 UTC, 30 October 2026 · 11 reports from 9 outlets · 6 confirmed · 45 one-source

Top reportWorld’s largest crypto exchange investigates suspected multibillion-dollar hackRT · State media ·

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Image from The Verge: Binance hackers stole $6.3 billion in record-breaking crypto heist

Image: The Verge

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Written by AI only from the receipts on this page; each number links to the claim that line rests on.

People, places & organisations

What changed

Last 48 hours, newest first (times UTC)

  1. New claim Ari Redbord said the theft shows how exposed the system is to sophisticated attackers 45 min ago
  2. New claim Most of the theft occurred over a period of just 20 minutes 45 min ago
  3. New claim Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the investigation has not attributed responsibility to any individual 45 min ago
  4. New claim The attacker did not simply use one engineer’s permissions 45 min ago
  5. New claim Binance has reserved over $6.34 billion of company funds to cover this incident 45 min ago
  6. New claim Binance has an emergency reserve fund of around $1.3 billion 45 min ago
  7. New claim Around $3 billion of the impacted assets have been frozen so far 45 min ago
  8. New claim Binance has disclosed that $6.3 billion worth of crypto funds have been stolen from the platform 45 min ago
  9. Ghost edit BBC World News edited "Crypto giant Binance hit by hack suspected to be largest in history": Changes: "may have" to "initial checks", "what could be" to "what is thought", added "Lazarus Group", "Jayant Dave", "300 million". 46 min ago
  10. New claim Binance expects withdrawals to resume within 48 hours 2 hrs ago
67 earlier changes
  1. New claim Global crypto exchanges liquidated over 158,000 traders' positions worth $923.54 mln in 24 hours 2 hrs ago
  2. New claim The total capitalization of the cryptocurrency market amounted to $2.67 trillion 2 hrs ago
  3. New claim Around $3 bln had been blocked directly on the blockchain 2 hrs ago
  4. New claim No impact on user funds had been detected 2 hrs ago
  5. Ghost edit TRT World edited "TRT World - Crypto platform Binance confirms major hack, freezes assets worth ar": Changed: $2.5B to $3B, $1.6B to $971M, $800M to $823M, added Yi He, $6.3B. 5 hrs ago
  6. Ghost edit BBC World News edited "Crypto giant Binance hit by hack suspected to be largest in history": largest hack' changed to 'hack suspected to be largest 5 hrs ago
  7. Ghost edit Al Jazeera edited "Binance says $6.3bn stolen in biggest crypto heist in history": Amount changed from $3bn to $6.3bn, "frozen" to "stolen", and added names Changpeng Zhao, Foley, Ari Redbord. 5 hrs ago
  8. Ghost edit The Guardian World edited "Crypto exchange Binance freezes billions in funds amid potential $6.3bn security": Amount of frozen funds changed from $2.5bn to $6.3bn. 6 hrs ago
  9. Where it stands Binance deals with security incident, user funds are safe, suspends deposits and withdrawals, $6.3 billion impacted. 6 hrs ago
  10. Upgraded now confirmed by 2 outlets: The hack may have involved an engineer's compromised laptop 6 hrs ago
  11. Upgraded now confirmed by 2 outlets: Over $1.5 billion was stolen from Bybit in February 2025 6 hrs ago
  12. New claim A record-setting $1.5bn hack occurred on the Bybit exchange in 2025 6 hrs ago
  13. New claim The hack may have involved an engineer's compromised laptop 6 hrs ago
  14. New claim Binance is the world's biggest cryptocurrency trading platform 6 hrs ago
  15. Where it stands Binance deals with security incident, user funds are safe, deposits and withdrawals suspended, $6.3 billion impacted. 7 hrs ago
  16. Upgraded now confirmed by 2 outlets: Binance security breach has $6.3 billion impact 7 hrs ago
  17. New claim A security incident may involve a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop 7 hrs ago
  18. New claim Binance froze $3 billion on-chain 7 hrs ago
  19. New claim Binance estimates losses at $6.3 billion 7 hrs ago
  20. Ghost edit RT World News edited "Binance probes possible multibillion-dollar crypto hack": Changed: details on investigation, hack amounts ($388M, $285M, $292M), and actions taken (suspension, law enforcement involvement, $2.54B asset freeze). 7 hrs ago
  21. New claim Binance security breach has $6.3 billion impact 8 hrs ago
  22. Where it stands Binance deals with a security incident, user funds are safe, and deposits and withdrawals are suspended. 9 hrs ago
  23. New claim Changpeng Zhao stated that the platform could have been hacked 9 hrs ago
  24. New claim Binance specialists are conducting an active investigation 9 hrs ago
  25. New claim The volume of frozen funds on the Binance exchange is about $3 billion 9 hrs ago
  26. New claim Binance will cover all losses 9 hrs ago
  27. Upgraded now confirmed by 2 outlets: Binance suspended all deposits and withdrawals 9 hrs ago
  28. Ghost edit Al Jazeera edited "Binance says $3bn in crypto funds frozen amid ‘potential security issue’": Changed: $2.54bn to $3bn, added "all losses" coverage, and added hacking incident details. 10 hrs ago
  29. Ghost edit The Guardian World edited "Crypto firms freeze more than $2.5bn in funds as Binance investigates potential ": Binance and $2.5bn added to headline and article. 11 hrs ago
  30. Where it stands Binance deals with a security incident, user funds are safe. 11 hrs ago
  31. Upgraded now confirmed by 4 outlets: Binance has confirmed it is dealing with a security incident 11 hrs ago
  32. New claim Changpeng Zhao says it looks like a hack on Binance 11 hrs ago
  33. New claim Over $1.5 billion was stolen from Bybit in February 2025 11 hrs ago
  34. New claim Bitcoin prices fell more than three percent 11 hrs ago
  35. New claim Circle froze more than $800 million in USDC 11 hrs ago
  36. New claim Tether froze about $1.6 billion 11 hrs ago
  37. New claim More than $2.5 billion has been frozen 11 hrs ago
  38. New claim Binance has fallen victim to a major hack 11 hrs ago
  39. New claim Binance engages with law enforcement 11 hrs ago
  40. New claim Zhao: “I don’t manage Binance (.com) anymore, but as a shareholder, I expect all user funds will be fully covered” 11 hrs ago
  41. New claim Zhao: “the exact words” 11 hrs ago
  42. New claim Binance was targeted in a cyber heist 11 hrs ago
  43. New claim Bitcoin price fell about 5 percent 11 hrs ago
  44. New claim Binance suspended all deposits and withdrawals 11 hrs ago
  45. New claim Binance has at least $2.54 bn in funds frozen 11 hrs ago
  46. Where it stands User funds are completely safe. 12 hrs ago
  47. New claim The incident does look like a hack on Binance 12 hrs ago
  48. New claim The price of bitcoin dropped 3.2% Thursday afternoon 12 hrs ago
  49. New claim Circle froze more than $800m in currency associated with the incident 12 hrs ago
  50. New claim Tether froze more than $1.5bn in currency related to the incident 12 hrs ago
  51. New claim Binance had not confirmed that funds had been pilfered 12 hrs ago
  52. New claim The extent of damages was not known 12 hrs ago
  53. New claim Binance is investigating reports of a potential security issue 12 hrs ago
  54. New claim Binance has not confirmed a hack or disclosed financial losses 12 hrs ago
  55. New claim Binance customer funds are safe 12 hrs ago
  56. New claim Estimates of the outflows reached $2.77 billion across five blockchains 12 hrs ago
  57. New claim Billions of dollars in digital assets were transferred from wallets linked to Binance 12 hrs ago
  58. New claim Binance has launched an investigation into a possible cyberattack 12 hrs ago
  59. New claim Hackers stole a record $1.4 billion in crypto from Bybit in 2025 12 hrs ago
  60. New claim Hackers stole around $2 million in user funds from Polymarket 12 hrs ago
  61. New claim Tether froze about $1.56 billion related to Binance’s hack 12 hrs ago
  62. New claim Circle froze about $800 million in Tether 12 hrs ago
  63. New claim At least $2 billion has been drained from Binance’s hot wallets 12 hrs ago
  64. New claim User funds are completely safe (confirmed by 3 outlets) 12 hrs ago
  65. New claim Binance temporarily suspended withdrawals on multiple networks 12 hrs ago
  66. New claim Binance has confirmed it is dealing with a security incident 12 hrs ago
  67. Story opened Binance pauses withdrawals amid hack investigation. 12 hrs ago

Two sides

The two media blocs whose accounts of this story differ most, side by side.

Where they part US media foregrounds hackers' actions, Russia media focuses on Binance's response

Russian state media

TASSState mediaRTState media

Russian state media centres Binance's actions and statements, using terms like 'security incident' and foregrounds the company's efforts to address the issue, such as covering losses and freezing assets, while also reporting on the estimated losses of $6.3 bln.

US media

The VergePrivateTechCrunchPrivate

US media centres the hackers' actions and the scale of the theft, using terms like 'record-breaking crypto heist' and 'largest known cryptocurrency heist in history', and it foregrounds expert opinions, such as TRM chief policy officer Ari Redbord's statement on the hack's size and the system's exposure to attackers.

How it’s being told

One card per media bloc. Each summary is written only from that bloc’s own headlines and quotes.

Russian state media

TASSState mediaRTState media

Russian state media centres Binance's actions and statements, using terms like 'security incident' and foregrounds the company's efforts to address the issue, such as covering losses and freezing assets, while also reporting on the estimated losses of $6.3 bln.

European media

BBCPublic broadcasterFrance 24Public broadcasterThe GuardianNon-profit

European media centres Binance's actions and words, foregrounding the 'largest hack in history' and a 'potential record crypto heist', and uses terms like 'security breach' to describe the incident, while also mentioning the impact on the price of bitcoin.

US media

The VergePrivateTechCrunchPrivate

US media centres the hackers' actions and the scale of the theft, using terms like 'record-breaking crypto heist' and 'largest known cryptocurrency heist in history', and it foregrounds expert opinions, such as TRM chief policy officer Ari Redbord's statement on the hack's size and the system's exposure to attackers.

Middle East state media

Al JazeeraState mediaTRT WorldState media

Middle East state media centres Binance's actions and words, using terms like 'potential security issue' and 'major hack', and it foregrounds the scale of the incident, including the amount of frozen funds and the impact on Bitcoin prices.

In their words

What the people at the centre of this story said, word for word, with the article each quote appeared in.

This is an extraordinary hack, for its size and for the response... Few financial systems have ever shown a theft of this scale, … The theft shows how exposed the system is to sophisticated attackers moving at a speed we have never seen.

Ari Redbordquote TRM chief policy officerThe VergeReceipt

I don’t manage Binance (.com) anymore, but as a shareholder, I expect all user funds will be fully covered.

Changpeng ZhaoAl JazeeraReceipt

It does look like a hack on Binance

Changpeng ZhaoquoteAl JazeeraReceipt

Receipts

Every claim with the verbatim sentence it came from. Tap a claim to see its sources.

Confirmed 6

Reported by at least two independent outlets, or by the actor itself.

The hack may have involved an engineer's compromised laptop Confirmed by 2TASS, BBC · #
Binance security breach has $6.3 billion impact Confirmed by 2France 24, TASS · #
Binance suspended all deposits and withdrawals Confirmed by 2Al Jazeera, TASS · #
Over $1.5 billion was stolen from Bybit in February 2025 Confirmed by 2TRT World, BBC · #
  • “Some said it could be the biggest-ever cyberattack of its kind, with a haul exceeding the $1.5 billion stolen in February 2025 from the Bybit platform — an incident attributed to hackers affiliated with North Korea.”

    TRT WorldState mediaReportsCrypto platform Binance confirms major hack, freezes more than $2.5B

  • “Two analytics firms have attributed the incident, which eclipses a record-setting $1.5bn hack on the Bybit exchange in 2025, to a North Korean hacking unit called TraderTraitor”

    BBCPublic broadcasterReportsCrypto giant Binance hit by 'largest hack in history'

User funds are completely safe Confirmed by 5RT, TechCrunch, The Guardian, Al Jazeera · #
Binance has confirmed it is dealing with a security incident Confirmed by 4TechCrunch, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, TRT World · #

One source 45

Only one outlet so far. Shown, never hidden — treat with care.

Ari Redbord said the theft shows how exposed the system is to sophisticated attackers One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
  • ““This is an extraordinary hack, for its size and for the response... Few financial systems have ever shown a theft of this scale,” TRM chief policy officer Ari Redbord said in a statement to Sky News. “The theft shows how exposed the system is to sophisticated attackers moving at a speed we have never seen.””

    The VergePrivateReportsBinance hackers stole $6.3 billion in record-breaking crypto heist

Most of the theft occurred over a period of just 20 minutes One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
  • “This is the largest known cryptocurrency heist in history— four times higher than the previous record, when $1.46 billion was stolen from Bybit last year — and according to TRM, most of the theft occurred over a period of just 20 minutes.”

    The VergePrivateAttributesBinance hackers stole $6.3 billion in record-breaking crypto heist

Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said the investigation has not attributed responsibility to any individual One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
The attacker did not simply use one engineer’s permissions One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
Binance has reserved over $6.34 billion of company funds to cover this incident One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
  • “The company has an emergency reserve fund of around $1.3 billion (at last valuation) to protect user assets in these situations, and said it has also reserved over $6.34 billion of company funds to cover this incident — $5 billion of which is “already held in the exact token assets that were impacted.””

    The VergePrivateReportsBinance hackers stole $6.3 billion in record-breaking crypto heist

Binance has an emergency reserve fund of around $1.3 billion One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
  • “The company has an emergency reserve fund of around $1.3 billion (at last valuation) to protect user assets in these situations, and said it has also reserved over $6.34 billion of company funds to cover this incident — $5 billion of which is “already held in the exact token assets that were impacted.””

    The VergePrivateReportsBinance hackers stole $6.3 billion in record-breaking crypto heist

Around $3 billion of the impacted assets have been frozen so far One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
Binance has disclosed that $6.3 billion worth of crypto funds have been stolen from the platform One source: The VergeThe Verge · #
Binance expects withdrawals to resume within 48 hours One source: TASSTASS · #
Global crypto exchanges liquidated over 158,000 traders' positions worth $923.54 mln in 24 hours One source: TASSTASS · #
The total capitalization of the cryptocurrency market amounted to $2.67 trillion One source: TASSTASS · #
Around $3 bln had been blocked directly on the blockchain One source: TASSTASS · #
No impact on user funds had been detected One source: TASSTASS · #
Binance froze $3 billion on-chain One source: TASSTASS · #
Binance is the world's biggest cryptocurrency trading platform One source: BBCBBC · #
Changpeng Zhao stated that the platform could have been hacked One source: TASSTASS · #
Binance specialists are conducting an active investigation One source: TASSTASS · #
The volume of frozen funds on the Binance exchange is about $3 billion One source: TASSTASS · #
Binance will cover all losses One source: TASSTASS · #
Binance engages with law enforcement One source: Al JazeeraAl Jazeera · #
Zhao: “I don’t manage Binance (.com) anymore, but as a shareholder, I expect all user funds will be fully covered” One source: Al JazeeraAl Jazeera · #
Zhao: “the exact words” One source: Al JazeeraAl Jazeera · #
Bitcoin price fell about 5 percent One source: Al JazeeraAl Jazeera · #
Binance has at least $2.54 bn in funds frozen One source: Al JazeeraAl Jazeera · #
The price of bitcoin dropped 3.2% Thursday afternoon One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
Circle froze more than $800m in currency associated with the incident One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
Tether froze more than $1.5bn in currency related to the incident One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
Binance had not confirmed that funds had been pilfered One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
The extent of damages was not known One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
Binance is investigating reports of a potential security issue One source: The GuardianThe Guardian · #
Changpeng Zhao says it looks like a hack on Binance One source: TRT WorldTRT World · #
Bitcoin prices fell more than three percent One source: TRT WorldTRT World · #
Circle froze more than $800 million in USDC One source: TRT WorldTRT World · #
Tether froze about $1.6 billion One source: TRT WorldTRT World · #
More than $2.5 billion has been frozen One source: TRT WorldTRT World · #
Binance has not confirmed a hack or disclosed financial losses One source: RTRT · #
Estimates of the outflows reached $2.77 billion across five blockchains One source: RTRT · #
Billions of dollars in digital assets were transferred from wallets linked to Binance One source: RTRT · #
Binance has launched an investigation into a possible cyberattack One source: RTRT · #
Hackers stole a record $1.4 billion in crypto from Bybit in 2025 One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #
Hackers stole around $2 million in user funds from Polymarket One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #
Tether froze about $1.56 billion related to Binance’s hack One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #
Circle froze about $800 million in Tether One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #
At least $2 billion has been drained from Binance’s hot wallets One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #
Binance temporarily suspended withdrawals on multiple networks One source: TechCrunchTechCrunch · #

Ask about this story

Line, our AI correspondent, answers only from the receipts on this page. Every sentence links to the claim behind it.

Watch

News video from the outlets covering this story.

Binance Investigates Major Security Breach: Exchanges Traces Possible Point Of The Attack | WION

WION ·

Binance hack funds could be 'deployed into weapons', warns cyber expert

Sky News ·

Binance reels from $6.3bn crypto hack | Reuters World News

Reuters ·

Binance freezes assets after $6.3 billion heist

Reuters ·

What we know about Binance's $6.3bn hack

BBC ·

Binance US$6.3b crypto heist likely linked to North Korea, says expert

CNA ·

Binance hit by US$6.3 billion security breach: What we know so far and what's next

CNA ·

Ghost edits

Changes outlets made to their articles after publishing, caught by re-reading them.

  • BBCSubstantive edit

    HeadlineCrypto giant Binance hit by hack suspected to be largest in history

    Changes: "may have" to "initial checks", "what could be" to "what is thought", added "Lazarus Group", "Jayant Dave", "300 million".

    RemovedBinance is the world's biggest cryptocurrency trading platform Cryptocurrency giant Binance said on Thursday that $6.3bn (£4.7bn) of digital assets have been impacted by what could be the largest hack in history.

    AddedCryptocurrency giant Binance said on Thursday that $6.3bn (£4.7bn) of digital assets have been impacted by what is thought to be the biggest crypto hack on record.

    Read the article as it stands now

  • TRT WorldSubstantive edit

    BeforeTRT World - Crypto platform Binance confirms major hack, freezes more than $2.5B

    AfterTRT World - Crypto platform Binance confirms major hack, freezes assets worth around $3B

    Changed: $2.5B to $3B, $1.6B to $971M, $800M to $823M, added Yi He, $6.3B.

    RemovedCryptocurrency platform Binance has said that it had fallen victim to a major hack that had resulted in the freezing of more than $2.5 billion in an effort to prevent them from being stolen.The company — the world's largest crypto…

    AddedCryptocurrency exchange Binance is investigating a potential security breach after around $3 billion in digital assets were frozen in an effort to prevent them from being stolen, the company said on Thursday.The world’s largest crypto…

    Read the article as it stands now

  • BBCSubstantive edit

    BeforeCrypto giant Binance hit by 'largest hack in history'

    AfterCrypto giant Binance hit by hack suspected to be largest in history

    largest hack' changed to 'hack suspected to be largest

    RemovedBinance is the world's biggest cryptocurrency trading platform Cryptocurrency giant Binance said on Thursday that $6.3bn (£4.7bn) of digital assets have been impacted by what has been described as the "largest hack in history".

    AddedBinance is the world's biggest cryptocurrency trading platform Cryptocurrency giant Binance said on Thursday that $6.3bn (£4.7bn) of digital assets have been impacted by what could be the largest hack in history.

    Read the article as it stands now

  • Al JazeeraSubstantive edit

    BeforeBinance says $3bn in crypto funds frozen amid ‘potential security issue’

    AfterBinance says $6.3bn stolen in biggest crypto heist in history

    Amount changed from $3bn to $6.3bn, "frozen" to "stolen", and added names Changpeng Zhao, Foley, Ari Redbord.

    RemovedCryptocurrency exchange Binance has said at least $3 bn in funds have been frozen following a “potential security issue”.

    AddedCryptocurrency exchange Binance has said that about $6.3bn in funds have been stolen in a “security incident” that looks to be the biggest crypto heist in history.

    Read the article as it stands now

  • The GuardianSubstantive edit

    BeforeCrypto firms freeze more than $2.5bn in funds as Binance investigates potential hack

    AfterCrypto exchange Binance freezes billions in funds amid potential $6.3bn security breach

    Amount of frozen funds changed from $2.5bn to $6.3bn.

    RemovedWorld’s largest crypto exchange said it had not confirmed whether funds had been pilfered Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said on Thursday it is investigating reports of a potential security issue as its founder said…

    AddedBreach may have started with a hacked laptop belonging to engineer, in incident analysts say could be of the most significant intrusions on record Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has said it’s investigating reports…

    Read the article as it stands now

  • RTSubstantive edit

    HeadlineBinance probes possible multibillion-dollar crypto hack

    Changed: details on investigation, hack amounts ($388M, $285M, $292M), and actions taken (suspension, law enforcement involvement, $2.54B asset freeze).

    RemovedThe world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has launched an investigation into a possible cyberattack after billions of dollars in digital assets were reportedly transferred from wallets linked to the platform.

    AddedThe company stressed that customer funds were safe and said it would publish a detailed technical report once its investigation was complete.

    Read the article as it stands now

All sources

11 reports from 9 outlets — with who owns each outlet and who pays for it.

RT State media

RussiaOwner: ANO TV-NovostiPaid by: Russian federal budget

TASS State media

RussiaOwner: TASS Russian News Agency (federal state unitary enterprise)Paid by: Russian federal budget + commercial news services

Al Jazeera State media

QatarOwner: Al Jazeera Media NetworkPaid by: funded by the State of Qatar

BBC Public broadcaster

United KingdomOwner: BBC — public corporation under Royal CharterPaid by: TV licence fee

France 24 Public broadcaster

FranceOwner: France Médias Monde (wholly owned by the French state)Paid by: French public funds (state allocation for public broadcasting)

TechCrunch Private

United StatesOwner: Regent, L.P. (acquired from Yahoo in 2025)Paid by: advertising + events

The Guardian Non-profit

United KingdomOwner: Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust LimitedPaid by: reader contributions + subscriptions + advertising; Scott Trust endowment

The Verge Private

United StatesOwner: Vox MediaPaid by: advertising + subscriptions

TRT World State media

TürkiyeOwner: Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT)Paid by: Turkish state budget + advertising

Not covered yet by

Associated PressCGTNCNADWEuronewsFinancial TimesForeign PolicyFox NewsNPRReutersSky NewsSouth China Morning PostSputnikThe New York TimesThe Times of IndiaWION

Outlets we monitor that have not reported this story. Silence can be signal.

From the Faultline desk

Our analysis pieces on this story.

Read the AI explainer

6 confirmed · 45 one-source9 outletsUpdated