Wallets wey dem link to Binance record about $2.5 billion outflow across five blockchains on Thursday, as concern mount say one serious security problem fit don hit the world largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Etherscan data show say more than $2 billion in Ethereum and other tokens comot from Binance hot wallets go one address wey dem only create hours before, and dem fund that address through Tornado Cash, one mixing service wey dey hide where coins dey come from.
At 20:24 UTC on October 29, one transaction move 167,464 ETH, wey Etherscan value around $388 million, comot from the wallet wey dem label Binance 14. The same transaction push 63 tokens go the receiving address, including about $1.6 billion in Tether (USDT). Another exchange wallet, Binance 16, send anoda 28,005 ETH go the same address just 24 seconds later.
The receiving address no exist before Thursday. Within 15 minutes, e forward 195,460 ETH, around $450 million, go yet another fresh address, while e still hold about $1.5 billion in tokens. The wallet wey trigger the transfer dey funded only through Tornado Cash, and e collect three deposits of roughly 0.1 ETH on October 28 and 29.
Binance never talk whether customer deposits dey at risk. Hot wallet na the one exchange dey keep online to pay withdrawals, and exchanges dey normally shuffle funds between hot wallets. But Yahoo Finance note say the path wey the funds follow dey mirror how hackers dey cover their tracks.
Bitcoin fall below $79,000 after e don trade above $80,800 earlier for the session as reports of the suspected incident spread. Some Binance users also report say dem get wahala to withdraw funds from the exchange.
Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao talk for one post say the activity look like hack, and e add say Tether and Circle freeze about $971 million in USDT and $823 million in USDC respectively. “User funds are safe!” Zhao write. “It does look like a hack on Binance.” E talk say e no longer dey manage Binance, but as shareholder e dey expect say all customer funds go dey covered.
Binance sef put out statement, confirm say its security teams dey investigate the suspected incident. “Our teams are aware of reports of a potential security issue and are actively investigating,” the exchange write. Crypto researcher Spreek na im first raise the concern say funds from one Binance-linked wallet fit don move go newly created externally owned account, wey fit mean unauthorised activity.
If dem confirm say na theft, e go pass the $387 million Bitget hack wey happen for September.
