Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, said hackers took an estimated $6.3 billion in digital assets, the biggest theft in the history of the crypto industry. The breach froze withdrawals for millions of customers and sent digital asset prices sharply lower.

"The estimated total impact sits at around $6.3B," Binance said in a post on X. The exchange said it would cover customer losses in full.

"Binance will cover all losses from the SAFU fund and the company's funds," the company said, referring to its Secure Asset Fund for Users, an emergency reserve set up to protect customers.

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimated the amount stolen at about $5.9 billion at the time of the theft. Either figure is about four times the previous record, the roughly $1.5 billion taken from the Dubai-based exchange Bybit in February 2025.

Engineer's laptop suspected

Binance said its preliminary investigation pointed to a compromised computer belonging to one of its own staff.

"Binance's initial investigation suggests that the security incident may involve a compromised DevOps engineer's laptop," the company said.

The exchange said the breach may have let attackers reach internal systems and submit unauthorized withdrawals. It said it found no evidence that the private keys controlling its crypto wallets had been leaked. It has not yet determined the root cause.

Binance said it is working with law enforcement and blockchain investigators. The U.S. Justice Department and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to AFP.

North........

© International Business Times