Binance says hackers stole a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) in cryptocurrency after using fake job interviews, malware and compromised internal artificial intelligence tools in a sophisticated multi-stage attack. The company, which operates the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, described the incident as a serious, high-level security breach and said it was working with law enforcement to track and freeze the affected assets.
In preliminary findings released today, Binance said the attackers used several techniques to compromise the computers of its engineers and gain control of tools that drained billions of dollars in cryptocurrency from wallets.
“This should never have happened,” Binance said, apologising for the incident and adding: “We apologize for the concern, confusion, and uncertainty this has caused to our users, partners, and the industry as a whole.”
Fake job interview targeted Binance engineer
In a post on X, Binance said the attackers used social engineering techniques to target its engineers. These methods can include phishing, in which victims are tricked into revealing sensitive or personal information that can later be used to access their accounts.
One Binance engineer was contacted through a legitimate job-search platform and invited to a fake interview with a supposed company representative. According to the report, the attackers used “more sophisticated and deceptive” methods to establish trust, including sharing social media accounts containing personal images.
During the second interview, the engineer was instructed to download malware disguised as an “assignment”. The malicious code used “obfuscation techniques” designed to evade detection.
Binance said the attackers then used the engineer’s compromised computer, along with compromised internal AI tools, to take control of the laptops of two other engineers and continue the attack.
Binance says funds have been replenished
Binance called the incident a “serious and high-level security incident”. Following the breach, it said it worked with law enforcement to track and freeze the affected assets.
As of Saturday, 98% of the affected token assets had been “replenished”, the company said. It also said it had secured more than 100% of the funds required to cover the losses.
The $6.3bn (£4.7bn) theft is believed to be the largest cryptocurrency hack ever.
Withdrawals suspended worldwide
Binance suspended customer withdrawals worldwide after the incident. Users could not withdraw cryptocurrency from the platform until services were restored on Sunday.
After withdrawals reopened, customers withdrew billions of dollars’ worth of assets.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk