WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Friday that American authorities are investigating the cyberattack on Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, but have not yet determined whether North Korean hackers were responsible.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said the United States was examining the possible involvement of North Korean cybercriminal groups. He added that officials were still assessing the situation and the possibility of recovering the stolen funds.
Trump also expressed caution about the security of digital currencies, comparing cryptocurrency transactions with traditional banking methods. He said Binance had indicated that the situation was largely under control, although the recovery process remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, US-based blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs identified North Korea’s TraderTraitor group as the likely perpetrator of the attack. The firm said it had a high level of confidence in its assessment, linking the group to the Lazarus cybercrime network.
Jonathan Levin, co-founder and chief executive of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, also suggested that TraderTraitor was likely responsible for the breach.
Binance has not officially identified those behind the incident. Following the attack, the exchange temporarily suspended withdrawals and pledged to compensate affected users for their losses.
The company also reported that approximately $3 billion worth of assets had been frozen across blockchain networks as efforts continued to contain the damage and recover the stolen funds.
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