Binance, which The Guardian described as the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was compromised in an operation the company has now detailed. According to The Guardian, the hackers behind a $6.3bn (£4.7bn) heist used bogus job interviews, malicious software and an internal AI tool.
The New York Times reported that a report from the cryptocurrency exchange described a "monthslong campaign" involving fake job interviews. According to the Times, the campaign exploited an engineer's work computer and an internal A.I. tool.
The Guardian reported that the company said the operation began with an inadvertent download of malware in June. The summary of that story breaks off before describing what followed, so the rest of the sequence cannot be confirmed from the reports available.
The two accounts differ in emphasis on timing. The Times described a campaign lasting months, while The Guardian placed the start in June. Neither summary says whether the June malware download and the engineer's work computer described by the Times are the same event, and neither names the engineer.
The two outlets also differ on the sum at stake. The Times headline says hackers plotted a $6.3 billion heist, while The Guardian's headline refers to a $6.3bn Binance heist. Neither summary says how much was taken, whether any funds were recovered, or whether customers were affected.
Both reports rest on information the exchange itself released, and neither summary indicates that the outlets independently verified the company's account.
Sources: The New York Times: Binance Says Hackers Plotted $6.3 Billion Heist for Months; The Guardian: Hackers behind $6.3bn Binance heist ‘used malware and bogus job interviews’.