--- title: "$6.3B Binance Hack: Blockchain Analysts Blame TraderTraitor Hacker Group" description: "Blockchain analytics firms TRM Labs and Chainalysis blame the TraderTraitor hacker group for the theft of $6.3 billion from Binance, the largest in crypto history. The US is investigating the incident, and some assets have been frozen." date: 2026-10-31T13:50:09.815Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/binance-hack-tradertraitor-6-3-billion tags: [binance, tradertraitor, crypto-hack, cybersecurity, blockchain, fbi] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # $6.3B Binance Hack: Blockchain Analysts Blame TraderTraitor Hacker Group ![smartphone with Binance logo next to a hooded hacker against a digital code background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/31/vzlom-binance-tradertraito-6-3-mld/vzlom-binance-tradertraito-6-3-mld-1.webp) ## Key Points - TRM Labs and Chainalysis blame the TraderTraitor hacker group for stealing $6.3 billion from Binance on October 29, 2026. - According to Binance, the attack involved a compromised laptop, malware, and bypassing the 'hot wallet' transaction confirmation system. - Part of the assets has been frozen: Tether froze about $1.57 billion, Circle over $800 million; Binance has detected about $3 billion. - The FBI and US Secret Service are participating in the investigation; President Trump stated the administration is reviewing the issue but did not confirm TraderTraitor's involvement. On October 29, 2026, the cryptocurrency market experienced one of the most high-profile incidents in its history. According to TRM Labs and Chainalysis, blockchain investigation firms, approximately $6.3 billion was stolen from Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. British blockchain data analytics firm Elliptic called the event 'almost certainly the largest theft in the history' of cryptocurrencies. According to several reports, the bulk of the amount was withdrawn by the attackers in a matter of minutes, and the stolen assets include just over 18,000 Bitcoins, which became practically irreversible after being transferred to the hackers' wallets. ### Who Is Behind It: The TraderTraitor Version The investigation into the incident led experts to the TraderTraitor hacker group. The name of this group had previously appeared in a joint report by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the US Department of the Treasury published in 2022. The document described methods used by attackers utilizing malware and other tactics to target software developers and IT personnel at cryptocurrency companies. According to experts, the same TraderTraitor group attacked another exchange, Bitget, in September, stealing $387 million. Characteristically, the group traditionally targets developers and IT specialists at financial institutions using malware or fake job offers: job seekers are tricked into downloading malicious programs during fake interviews, after which hackers steal credentials and other confidential information. ### How Binance Was Specifically Hacked Sophos Senior Threat Research Director Rafe Pilling noted that initial information on how hackers breached Binance 'bears a strong resemblance to the working methods' of TraderTraitor, calling the group 'true masters of penetrating decentralized finance companies' who are particularly skilled in money transfer confirmation processes. Binance Co-CEO Richard Teng described the event in a post on the X platform as a 'sophisticated attack' carried out by more than one person. According to him, the incident involved a compromised laptop and malware designed to immediately erase traces, complicating tracking and investigation. The hackers, according to the exchange, manipulated the transaction confirmation system to withdraw funds from Binance's 'hot wallet', bypassing standard control processes. Later, according to several reports, Binance acknowledged that there were multiple points of entry, and the exact mechanism of bypassing security remains unknown at the time of publication. ### The Chase for Billions: Asset Freezing Following the October 29 incident, Binance stated that it is cooperating with other parties to partially freeze the stolen cryptocurrency; currently, according to the company, about $3 billion has been detected. Stablecoin issuer Tether announced the freezing of nearly $1.57 billion in assets related to the incident, and Circle announced the freezing of over $800 million. As reports indicate, Binance temporarily suspended withdrawals and promised to cover user losses from its own funds. However, such a mechanism does not work with Bitcoin — it has no central issuer capable of reversing transactions, so a significant portion of the stolen Bitcoins remains under the hackers' control. ### Washington's Reaction According to a source familiar with the situation, Binance is currently cooperating with the FBI and the US Secret Service in the investigation. The FBI stated that it 'has information and is working with relevant public and private partners to determine the scale of the incident, assess potential impacts, and coordinate necessary investigative actions.' The US Secret Service confirmed that its investigators are 'working tirelessly with private partners, including Circle, to identify, freeze, track, and recover funds stolen from Binance.' On October 30, when US President Donald Trump was asked if the TraderTraitor group was behind the historic hack, he replied that he did not know, but his administration was looking into the matter, adding that Binance had said the situation was under control. ### The Scale of Consequences The resonance of the incident stems from the scale of the platform itself: as of 2026, Binance had approximately 335 million registered users worldwide, and according to its 2025 annual report, the exchange's assets stand at approximately $162.8 billion. Thus, the stolen $6.3 billion represents a noticeable share of managed funds and became the largest single seizure in the history of the cryptocurrency market, several times exceeding the previous record. The results of the investigation and success in recovering funds will determine the future assessment of the resilience of 'hot' wallets on major exchanges. ## Accounts differ ### Involvement of the TraderTraitor hacker group in the Binance hack - **TRM Labs and Chainalysis:** Accuse the TraderTraitor hacker group of stealing $6.3 billion from Binance, citing methods matching those described in the 2022 report. ([vietnam.vn](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/vu-trom-6-3-ty-usd-tu-san-tien-dien-tu-binance-nghi-van-nhom-tin-tac-tradertraito)) - **US Administration (President Donald Trump):** Stated that he did not know if the TraderTraitor group was behind the hack, but his administration is studying the matter. ([vietnam.vn](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/vu-trom-6-3-ty-usd-tu-san-tien-dien-tu-binance-nghi-van-nhom-tin-tac-tradertraito)) *Where they agree:* The Binance hack involving approximately $6.3 billion occurred and is under investigation by US authorities and the exchange itself. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Кража 6,3 миллиарда долларов с криптовалютной биржи Binance: возникают подозрения в причастности хакерской группы TraderTraito.](https://www.vietnam.vn/ru/vu-trom-6-3-ty-usd-tu-san-tien-dien-tu-binance-nghi-van-nhom-tin-tac-tradertraito) - Source baseline: $6.3B amount, TraderTraitor accusation, 2022 FBI/CISA/Treasury report, Bitget attack ($387M), statements from Sophos, Binance, Elliptic, Trump, FBI, Secret Service, Tether ($1.57B) and Circle ($800M+), 335M users, $162.8B assets. - [Криптовалютный рынок пошатнулся. Крупнейшая кража застала биржи врасплох](https://inosmi.ru/20261030/binance-280912853.html) - Confirms the record $6.3B amount and the engineer's laptop hack version (WP). - [Крупнейшая кража в истории криптовалют](https://www.content-review.com/articles/77581/) - Confirms $6.3B, withdrawal of the bulk in ~20 minutes, ~18k Bitcoins, multiple entry points, freezing of ~3B by stablecoin companies, suspension of withdrawals, and Binance covering losses. ## FAQ ### How much money was stolen from Binance, and who do analysts believe did it? According to TRM Labs and Chainalysis, about $6.3 billion was stolen from Binance; analysts blame the TraderTraitor hacker group, whose name previously appeared in a 2022 FBI, CISA, and US Treasury report. ### Have the stolen funds been recovered or frozen? Binance reported detecting about $3 billion. Tether froze nearly $1.57 billion, and Circle froze over $800 million. Meanwhile, a significant portion of the stolen Bitcoins remains under hacker control because Bitcoin has no central issuer to reverse transactions. ### Has the US confirmed TraderTraitor's involvement? No. President Trump stated on October 30 that he did not know if this specific group was behind the hack, but his administration is studying the issue. The FBI and US Secret Service confirmed their participation in the investigation.