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The FBI has accused North Korea of stealing more than $6 billion in virtual assets from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance in what is thought to be the biggest-ever crypto heist.
Its statement came as Binance offered reassurances it was covering the losses from the hacking attack, saying it has used company funds to buy tokens to replenish 90 percent of what was stolen.
News of the cyberattack caused the prices of most major cryptocurrencies to fall sharply on Oct. 30.
The FBI confirmed earlier suspicions from private investigators and analysts that a North Korea-affiliated group called TraderTraitor was behind the hack.
TraderTraitor is the same group blamed for a $1.5 billion theft from the Bybit platform in February last year.
The FBI added that it had observed “TraderTraitor actors” converting stolen assets into Ethereum, and expected those assets to be laundered further by converting them using decentralized finance and instant swap services.
It said it was urging private sector entities “to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets.”
Binance said on Oct. 31 it has set aside more than $6.34 billion in company funds to cover losses in the hack.
Binance suspended user withdrawals after the hack, but said in its latest update they were on track to resume yesterday.
