Business · BBC Technology
Binance confirms fake job interviews applied as part of $6.3bn crypto hack
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Hackers who stole a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) from Binance used fake job interviews and a compromised internal AI tool, the firm has revealed.
Key facts
- The TraderTraitor unit, which is also known as the Lazarus Group, was blamed for a then-record $1.5bn hack of crypto exchange Bybit in 2025
- Hackers who stole a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) from Binance used fake job interviews and a compromised internal AI tool, the firm has revealed
- It said it had also set aside more than 100% of the funds needed to cover the loss, and said 98% of the token assets impacted had been "replenished" as of Saturday
- Kim Yo Jong, a top North Korean official and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said the accusations were another "sinister attempt" by the US to damage the counry's public image
Summary
Initial findings published by the company, which operates the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said hackers gained access to its systems through a "sophisticated, multi-stage campaign". It said they used a range of techniques such as malicious software downloads to compromise the computers of Binance engineers and gain control over tools to drain its wallet of billions of dollars worth of crypto. Binance called it a "serious and highly sophisticated security incident" and apologised, saying "this should not have happened". In a post on X, external, Binance said hackers targeted its engineers using social engineering techniques.