# 18,270 stolen BTC split across 19 wallets: Unlike stablecoins, no one can freeze these funds directly
- Split completed, funds not yet moved: According to CoinDesk (published at 12:50 Beijing time on October 30), the attacker split the 18,270 BTC stolen from a Binance hot wallet across 19 wallets in just a few minutes using a peel chain—17 wallets each hold 1,000 BTC, while the other two hold 832.5 BTC and 437.7 BTC, respectively. As of 12:23 Beijing time, none of the 19 wallets had sent out any BTC.
- The key difference is whether the funds can be frozen: Stablecoin issuers such as Tether and Circle can blacklist addresses involved in illicit activity, which is why around $3 billion could be frozen. But BTC has no issuer, so no one can freeze these 18,270 coins directly. They could only be intercepted if they reach an exchange, an over-the-counter trading desk, or a conversion service.
- New claims about attribution: TRM Labs attributed the attack with “high confidence” to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking group also believed to be linked to the theft of around $1.5 billion from Bybit in February 2025. However, Binance has not officially confirmed who was behind the attack, and ZachXBT’s earlier speculation about Lazarus was likewise never officially confirmed.
- Background: Binance estimates the incident affected around $6.3 billion and says it has frozen around $3 billion on-chain. The company has pledged to cover all losses through the SAFU Fund and its own funds. Deposits and withdrawals remain suspended, and He Yi said withdrawals are expected to gradually resume within 48 hours. BTC is currently hovering around $78,500, still seesawing in the $76,000–$79,000 range.
$BTC
#币安 #黑客 #BTC
My take: Neutral on BTC in the short term. The 18,270 stolen BTC have not been sold yet, so they are only potential selling pressure hanging over the market. But the ability to cash out is constrained by exchange interception, meaning the near-term impact is more likely to be sentiment-driven than actual selling.
Sources: CoinDesk report (published at 12:50 Beijing time on October 30; on-chain data from mempool.space); attribution by TRM Labs (not officially confirmed by Binance); Binance’s security incident update issued at 10:24 on October 30 (loss and freeze figures). For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
If these 18,270 BTC start moving, where do you think the market will react first? Tap the tag to see live prices, and share your thoughts in the comments.
- Split completed, funds not yet moved: According to CoinDesk (published at 12:50 Beijing time on October 30), the attacker split the 18,270 BTC stolen from a Binance hot wallet across 19 wallets in just a few minutes using a peel chain—17 wallets each hold 1,000 BTC, while the other two hold 832.5 BTC and 437.7 BTC, respectively. As of 12:23 Beijing time, none of the 19 wallets had sent out any BTC.
- The key difference is whether the funds can be frozen: Stablecoin issuers such as Tether and Circle can blacklist addresses involved in illicit activity, which is why around $3 billion could be frozen. But BTC has no issuer, so no one can freeze these 18,270 coins directly. They could only be intercepted if they reach an exchange, an over-the-counter trading desk, or a conversion service.
- New claims about attribution: TRM Labs attributed the attack with “high confidence” to TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking group also believed to be linked to the theft of around $1.5 billion from Bybit in February 2025. However, Binance has not officially confirmed who was behind the attack, and ZachXBT’s earlier speculation about Lazarus was likewise never officially confirmed.
- Background: Binance estimates the incident affected around $6.3 billion and says it has frozen around $3 billion on-chain. The company has pledged to cover all losses through the SAFU Fund and its own funds. Deposits and withdrawals remain suspended, and He Yi said withdrawals are expected to gradually resume within 48 hours. BTC is currently hovering around $78,500, still seesawing in the $76,000–$79,000 range.
$BTC
#币安 #黑客 #BTC
My take: Neutral on BTC in the short term. The 18,270 stolen BTC have not been sold yet, so they are only potential selling pressure hanging over the market. But the ability to cash out is constrained by exchange interception, meaning the near-term impact is more likely to be sentiment-driven than actual selling.
Sources: CoinDesk report (published at 12:50 Beijing time on October 30; on-chain data from mempool.space); attribution by TRM Labs (not officially confirmed by Binance); Binance’s security incident update issued at 10:24 on October 30 (loss and freeze figures). For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
If these 18,270 BTC start moving, where do you think the market will react first? Tap the tag to see live prices, and share your thoughts in the comments.
