Binance confirmed a major security breach affecting approximately $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency, the exchange said on October 30. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by daily trading volume, said it was working with blockchain partners to contain the incident.
Approximately $3 billion in affected assets had been frozen on-chain, according to the exchange’s announcement. The estimated impact is more than four times the $1.5 billion stolen from Bybit in February 2025, an attack attributed to North Korean-linked hackers.
Binance said the $6.3 billion figure represents the estimated assets affected by the breach. The final loss remains uncertain as investigators trace funds and pursue additional freezes.
Deposits and Withdrawals Suspended
At approximately 00:30 GMT on October 30, Binance announced that deposits and withdrawals had been temporarily suspended. The exchange said its teams were conducting security checks, freezing funds and coordinating with law enforcement.
Binance said coverage for losses would come from its Secure Asset Fund for Users, known as SAFU, and company funds. The exchange also said the amount frozen could rise as law enforcement agencies, token issuers, blockchain intelligence firms and other partners continued tracing the funds.
Compromised Laptop Identified as Initial Lead
Binance’s preliminary investigation pointed to a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer. According to the exchange, that access allowed an unauthorized party to enter a service container and submit withdrawal transactions through internal infrastructure.
Binance said investigators had found no evidence that wallet private keys were leaked.
