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Binance traces $6.3 billion hack to one engineer's compromised laptop

Binance said in a statement that the estimated impact of the hack was around $6.3 billion and the incident might involve a compromised DevOps engineer's laptop.

Updated on: Oct 30, 2026, 10:01:46 IST
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Binance provided an update on the possible source of the hack and the total impact, in what is being reported as possibly the ‘biggest ever cyber heist’. The company on Friday issued a statement saying “Binance's initial investigation suggests that the security incident may involve a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop.” They noted that the estimated total impact sits at around $6.3 billion.

Binance said the compromised laptop allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container, and then submit withdrawal transactions which were not authorized. Image for representational purposes. (Unsplash)
Binance said the compromised laptop allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container, and then submit withdrawal transactions which were not authorized. Image for representational purposes. (Unsplash)

Binance said that the compromised laptop allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container, and then submit withdrawal transactions which were not authorized. “We have worked with blockchain partners to freeze affected assets, with ~$3 billion frozen on-chain so far. Binance will cover all losses from the SAFU fund and the company’s funds. User funds are safe. We will also publish an updated Proof of Reserves once the remediation is complete,” the statement released on social media added.

No evidence of any wallet private key leak: Binance

Binance noted that the company had found no evidence of any wallet private key leak. “We will share a detailed technical post-mortem once the investigation is complete and the facts are fully verified,” the statement further added.

Deep Dive

How did the compromised Binance engineer’s laptop enable the $6.3 billion hack?

Binance’s initial investigation suggests the laptop gave an attacker access to a service container, allowing them to submit unauthorised withdrawal transactions. The company said it found no evidence that wallet private keys were leaked.

How much of the Binance hack has been frozen, and who will cover the losses?

Binance said about $3 billion in affected assets had been frozen on-chain. The company said it would cover all losses using its SAFU fund and corporate funds.

Why did Binance suspend deposits and withdrawals after the hack?

Binance temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals while it completed security checks. It also revoked the affected address authorisation and said it was working with law enforcement and blockchain partners to trace and recover funds.
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According to the report, this raises questions about how keys are stored to who and what can ask for a signature.

What's next for Binance after the hack?

Binance noted that it is “working around the clock to resolve this issue safely and thoroughly. We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to confirm the identity of these criminals and bring them to justice.”

Also Read | ₹2.5 crore crypto theft">Gold teeth grills to luxury holidays: How UK man splurged after ₹2.5 crore crypto theft

The company stated that as immediate steps, it has “temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals while security checks are completed.” Binance has also “revoked the affected address authorisation” and “engaged law enforcement and blockchain intelligence partners to trace and recover funds.”

The FinanceFeeds report noted that with $6.3 billion lost and about $3 billion frozen, about $3.3 billion remains outside Binance's reach. The SAFU fund which Binance referred to, has $1 billion in Bitcoin from earlier this year, as per the report. This still leaves a gap of about $2.3 billion, which is likely to come out of Binance’s corporate balance sheet. Hence, the statement mentions “the company’s funds” alongside SAFU as they have vowed to “cover all losses.”

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas

Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.

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