FBI: North Korea Behind Largest Crypto Theft in History

The FBI has stated that North Korea was behind the largest cryptocurrency theft in history, targeting the Binance exchange. The stolen funds are valued at approximately $6.3 billion, or about 58 billion Norwegian kroner. The FBI observed malicious North Korean actors laundering the stolen funds by converting them to Ethereum, and expects further laundering activity. Binance reported recovering 90 percent of the stolen value using its own funds, with the remaining 10 percent in smaller currencies, and plans to reopen user withdrawals on Sunday. The theft, first reported Thursday, surpasses the previous record from February 2025 when North Korean-linked hackers stole $1.5 billion from Bybit. Initial investigations suggest the breach began with a hacked laptop belonging to a Binance employee, and analysts TRM Labs and Chainalysis support the FBI's attribution, though North Korea denies involvement.