THORChain Freezes 10 Chains as Refund Bug Slows $6.3B Binance Hack

• THORChain halted cross-chain swaps after a critical Ethereum refund bug was exploited.
• The freeze blocked North Korean money laundering tied to the $6.3 billion Binance hack.

On November 2, 2026 (UTC), LCX Crypto News reported that THORChain suspended cross-chain swaps across ten major blockchains—including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Tron—after an Ethereum block reorganization uncovered a vulnerability in the protocol’s refund process. This flaw allowed double refunds if a deposit was initially credited and then lost due to a block reorg, sharply increasing the risk of protocol exploitation.

Responding to the critical bug, THORChain node operators executed an emergency halt to all swaps, aiming to prevent further losses. This shutdown immediately affected both regular users and illicit actors. Chainalysis confirmed that the pause cut off all swap routes on THORChain, stalling laundering efforts by North Korean attackers attempting to move proceeds from the $6.3 billion Binance hack.

On November 1, 2026, The Block reported that US authorities, led by the FBI, urged THORChain node operators and other DeFi projects to enforce tighter controls and block addresses linked to the North Korean TraderTraitor group responsible for the Binance breach.

Traders Union noted that THORChain’s team and founder reiterated their commitment to the protocol’s neutral and permissionless principles, warning that full censorship or network shutdown would undermine THORChain’s value as non-biased infrastructure for decentralized cross-chain settlements.

As of November 2, 2026, 07:09 UTC, THORChain’s RUNE token traded at $0.517, showing an 18.509% change in 24-hour volume, according to Market Survey data.