Cryptocurrency exchange Binance says it has recovered approximately half of the funds stolen in a major cyberattack that saw hackers access digital assets worth $6.3 billion.
The company says it has secured about $3 billion of the stolen funds, although the remaining assets are still believed to be in the hands of unidentified hackers.
Binance initially suspected that the attack originated from a compromised laptop belonging to one of its engineers, but subsequent investigations revealed multiple points of breach.
Several cryptocurrency analytics firms have linked the attack to a North Korean hacking group, with some investigators drawing similarities to previous cyberattacks targeting digital currency exchanges.
The United States Secret Service says it is working to identify the hackers, freeze and recover the stolen funds. Binance has also confirmed that it is cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The attack involved several digital assets, including stablecoins Tether and Circle, which are pegged to the US dollar. Binance says its US-based exchange was not affected.
The company's co-chief executive Richard Teng said the attack involved multiple security breaches and a self-destruct mechanism that erased tools and traces used by the hackers, complicating investigations.
Binance has assured customers that their funds remain safe, saying it will cover all losses arising from the incident. The company has also set aside more than $6.34 billion to cover the stolen assets.
The incident triggered a sell-off in cryptocurrency-related markets, with Bitcoin falling by five per cent to $76,800 during Friday trading in New York.
The attack has renewed concerns over security in the cryptocurrency industry, which has suffered billions of dollars in losses from cyberattacks in recent years.
North Korean-linked hacking groups have been blamed for several major cryptocurrency thefts, including the 2025 Bybit exchange heist.