Crypto exchange Binance freezes assets after $6.3bn 'complex' security breach

Binance said on Friday that a security breach had affected about $6.3 billion in funds, with roughly $3 billion frozen as it works with law enforcement to contain the incident. The exchange said investigators had identified further points of compromise, revising an earlier assessment that focused on a single laptop. Binance had previously paused deposits and withdrawals, and said withdrawals could resume in 45 hours.

The company said it had found no evidence that wallet private keys were exposed and pledged to publish a technical account after its investigation. Tether reported freezing nearly $1.57 billion tied to the incident, while Circle froze more than $800 million; Binance also said funds had been frozen by other firms. Bitcoin and Ethereum fell nearly five per cent and nearly 6pc respectively, while Binance’s BNB token dropped nearly 10pc, according to the report.