Binance halts trading after laptop compromise tied to $6.3 billion
Original title: In the year AI re-wrote the infosec rulebook, it’s comforting to know crypto exchanges still have bad security
Binance says a DevOps laptop led to unauthorized withdrawals, user funds are safe, and no wallet private keys leaked.
Binance paused trading, deposits, and withdrawals after unknown parties used a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop to reach a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions. The exchange first froze $2.5 billion of assets, later put $6.3 billion at risk, and said it will cover customer losses while working with law enforcement and partners. It reported no evidence of a wallet private-key leak. Trading had not resumed, and Binance has not said how the laptop was accessed.
Unconfirmed: How the laptop was compromised is unknown, and the dollar figures are Binance’s own estimates.
- Binance first said teams were investigating a potential security issue.
- The frozen-asset figure started at $2.5 billion before the company cited $6.3 billion.
- Customers were told not to trust unofficial links or requests for account information.
- The company said it would explain the intrusion once the cause is known.
Impact: Unauthorized withdrawal transactions from a service container
- 1.Do not trust unofficial Binance links, messages, or requests for account information
From the original article
2 min read at theregister.comBinance freezes funny money after compromise of engineer’s laptop leads to $6. 3 billion of bad trades
By Simon Sharwood · theregister.com
A short excerpt; the article and its images belong to the publisher. Summary, key facts and assessment above are AI-written from the article and can be wrong.