FBI accuses North Korea of stealing over 6 billion dollars from Binance

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claims that North Korea is responsible for the theft of over $6 billion from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance as a result of a daring cyberattack.

In its press release published on Saturday, October 7, 2023, the bureau stated that in collaboration with partners from the United States Secret Service (USSS) and the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), it was able to identify members of the TraderTraitor group. According to the FBI, the stolen assets were primarily converted into Ethereum. It is expected that these assets will be laundered through decentralized finance (DeFi) services and instant exchanges, leading to additional stages of money laundering.

Binance, in turn, previously reported that it had reimbursed about 90% of the value of the stolen assets, with a total amount of $6.3 billion, and plans to resume withdrawal operations by Sunday, October 8, 2023. This is a step towards fulfilling its commitments to fully compensate clients. This incident is one of the most significant in the cryptocurrency world, considering the scale of the theft and its consequences for the exchange's users.

According to experts, North Korea's actions resemble previous cyberattacks that were linked to cryptocurrencies and finance. The FBI emphasizes the importance of international cooperation in combating cybercrime, especially given the ongoing threats from groups like TraderTraitor. It is now expected that this case will attract the attention of regulators and law enforcement agencies worldwide to prevent similar incidents in the future.