The Binance logo on a smartphone, February 28, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File.
WASHINGTON – The FBI on Saturday blamed North Korea for the theft of more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance and asked companies across the digital-asset industry to block transactions linked to the stolen funds.
In an official alert dated October 31, the bureau attributed the attack, which it said occurred on or about October 29, to North Korean activity it tracks as TraderTraitor.
The FBI said it and partners at the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation had observed the attackers converting stolen assets primarily into ether, the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network. Investigators expect the assets to pass through decentralized-finance and instant-swap services in further laundering stages.
The alert includes cryptocurrency addresses that the FBI says hold or previously held stolen assets and are controlled by, or closely connected to, the attackers. It urges exchanges, blockchain analytics firms, decentralized-finance services and other providers to block transactions involving or derived from those addresses.
This is an attribution of responsibility and an effort to interrupt the money trail, not an announcement that the stolen funds have been recovered. Binance’s separate effort to replace assets backing customer balances is different from retrieving the cryptocurrency taken by the attackers.
JBizNews Technology Desk | Washington
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