Binance hackers used fake job interview, tampered software in $6.3bn attack

Nikkei Asia · Staff Writer · 2026-11-04 00:04 UTC

Cryptocurrency exchange details multistage hack behind potentially largest-ever financial theft

PARIS/DETROIT, Michigan (Reuters) -- Hackers used a bogus job interview and software hidden in an advertisement to compromise the computers of two Binance software engineers before using a third's computer to drain $6.3 billion worth of crypto in last week's record heist, the exchange said on Tuesday.

In its initial report on how hackers pulled off what could be the largest-ever financial theft, Binance detailed a multistage hacking endeavor that began in June and set off a series of security breaches culminating in the theft on Oct. 29.

Even as Binance scrambled to lock down its system and freeze withdrawals after detecting the attack late on Oct. 29, the hackers were still making off with crypto from the exchange nearly four hours after the first theft, Binance said.

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