• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Some Fortune Crypto pricing data is provided by Binance.
The CoinsBinance

‘The issue is contained now’: Binance CEO CZ responds after $100M exploit halts BNB Smart Chain

By
Taylor Locke
Taylor Locke
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Taylor Locke
Taylor Locke
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 6, 2022, 9:32 PM ET
Changpeng Zhao, founder and chief executive officer of Binance, waves as he arrives on stage for a panel session on the second day at the Vivatech Conference in Paris on June 16, 2022.
Changpeng Zhao, founder and chief executive officer of Binance, waves as he arrives on stage for a panel session on the second day at the Vivatech Conference in Paris on June 16, 2022.Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images

BNB Smart Chain paused on Thursday evening after detecting a “potential exploit.”

Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao later confirmed the issue on Twitter, saying, “An exploit on a cross-chain bridge, BSC Token Hub, resulted in extra BNB.” The BSC Token Hub impacted is the cross-chain bridge between the BNB Beacon Chain and the BNB Chain, he added.

“The issue is contained now,” CZ wrote. “Your funds are safe.”

An exploit on a cross-chain bridge, BSC Token Hub, resulted in extra BNB. We have asked all validators to temporarily suspend BSC. The issue is contained now. Your funds are safe. We apologize for the inconvenience and will provide further updates accordingly.

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 6, 2022

“This is an isolated issue on BSC,” a Binance representative told Fortune.

And CZ echoed the same. “The exploit happened with a bridge on the DeFi blockchain. It’s not related to the CEX. The community and teams moved quickly to contain it. That’s pretty much it. All the info is public,” he told Fortune.

CZ also pointed to a Reddit post with more details of the exploit, which noted an initial estimate of funds stolen ranging from $100 million to $110 million, adding that an estimated $7 million had been frozen.

The current impact estimate is around $100m USD equvilent, about a quarter of the last BNB burn.

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 7, 2022

In response to a request for comment, the BSC Hub and BNB Chain teams referred Fortune to the Reddit post cited by CZ.

Cross-chain bridge hacks are extremely common. Case in point: About $2 billion in cryptocurrency has been stolen in cross-chain bridge hacks just this year.

Many on crypto Twitter also pointed this out: “Bridges are the weakness.”

That confirms it is a bridge exploit.

Yet again, bridges are the weakness. https://t.co/ANv6ipOE9Y

— Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) October 6, 2022

At 2:53 a.m. ET, the BNB Chain team tweeted that the chain is now “running OK.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Taylor Locke
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in The Coins

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in The Coins

A picture of Bitcoins
The CoinsCryptocurrency
The crypto market may be out of gas as Bitcoin dips under $100k and altcoins plummet
By Carlos GarciaNovember 6, 2025
4 months ago
Brad Garlinghouse smiles at the camera.
The CoinsVenture Capital
Ripple says Fortress, Citadel Securities invest $500 million
By Emily Mason and BloombergNovember 5, 2025
4 months ago
A man in a black hoodie and glasses is speaking
The CoinsCryptocurrency
Altcoin giant Animoca Brands aims to go public next year, listing will test investor appetite for exotic crypto assets
By Carlos GarciaNovember 4, 2025
4 months ago
A man tries to pull a coin with a BTC logo up a mountain.
The CoinsBitcoin
Crypto’s big ‘Uptober’ ends with a whimper, Bitcoin down 4%
By Carlos Garcia and Ben WeissOctober 31, 2025
4 months ago
Two men are looking at monitors while trading
The CoinsCryptocurrency
Crypto’s second wave of ETFs arrives, investors snap up new Solana offering
By Carlos GarciaOctober 31, 2025
4 months ago
Michael Saylor on stage at a Bitcoin conference.
CompaniesBitcoin
Michael Saylor boosts yield, says Strategy is at an ‘inflection point’
By David Pan, Judy Lagrou and BloombergOctober 30, 2025
4 months ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Innovation
An MIT roboticist who cofounded bankrupt robot vacuum maker iRobot says Elon Musk’s vision of humanoid robot assistants is ‘pure fantasy thinking’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Japanese companies are paying older workers to sit by a window and do nothing—while Western CEOs demand super-AI productivity just to keep your job
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 27, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Commentary
'The Pitt': a masterclass display of DEI in action 
By Robert RabenFebruary 26, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
It’s more than George Clooney moving to France: America is becoming the ‘uncool’ country that people want to move away from
By Nick LichtenbergFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Jeff Bezos says being lazy, not working hard, is the root of anxiety: ‘The stress goes away the second I take that first step’
By Sydney LakeFebruary 25, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Walmart exec says U.S. workforces needs to take inspiration from China where ‘5 year-olds are learning DeepSeek’
By Preston ForeFebruary 27, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.