Binance says engineer's compromised laptop led to $6B hack
What's the story
Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has issued a statement regarding a major security breach that resulted in an estimated loss of $6.3 billion. The company said its preliminary investigation indicates that the incident may have stemmed from a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer. The hacker used the device to access a service container and initiate unauthorized withdrawal transactions.
Asset freeze
Binance assures user funds are safe
In response to the attack, Binance has worked with its blockchain partners to freeze the affected assets. So far, about $3 billion has been frozen on-chain.
The company also said it will cover all losses from its SAFU fund and corporate funds.
"User funds are safe," Binance said in its statement, adding that an updated Proof of Reserves will be published once remediation is complete.
Investigation update
No evidence of wallet private key leak
Binance has also clarified that there is no evidence of any wallet private key leak.
The company said it will provide a detailed technical post-mortem once the investigation is complete and the facts are fully verified.
This comes amid concerns over how keys are stored and who or what can ask for a signature, following similar hacking methods used in previous breaches like the Bybit incident in February 2025.
Security measures
Funds remain unrecovered amid investigations
In light of the security breach, Binance has temporarily suspended all deposits and withdrawals while security checks are underway.
The company has also revoked access to affected addresses and engaged law enforcement and blockchain intelligence partners to trace and recover funds.
With some $3 billion frozen, there remains about $3.3 billion that is still not under Binance's control.