TLDR
Binance froze part of the stolen funds from the recent Solana?linked Upbit hack, reportedly about 17% of the amount police asked to freeze, after verification steps (report).
- Upbit itself coordinated freezes and says $1.77 million has been locked across exchanges so far (update).
- Police requested a freeze of roughly 470 million won in Solana tokens on Binance; Binance froze about 80 million won (coverage).
- Upbit moved 99% of customer assets to cold storage following the breach (announcement).
Deep Dive
1. Who Froze Funds
The hack targeted Upbits Solana hot wallet, and Upbit says it mobilized partner exchanges to freeze assets, totaling $1.77 million recovered or locked so far (Upbit update). Separately, Binance confirmed an emergency freeze but limited it to a fraction of the Korean polices request, citing the need for verification (Binance scrutiny).
Several exchanges participated, but Binance was the most visible venue named by authorities for a partial freeze.
2. Why Only a Partial Freeze
Korean investigators traced about 470 million won in Solana assets to Binance and sought an immediate freeze; Binance froze around 80 million won after roughly 15 hours, attributing caution to verification requirements (cryptonews coverage). Legal experts note foreign exchanges often act voluntarily unless a binding court order exists, which can limit scope and speed (context).
Cross?border requests without court mandates can slow or narrow freezes, making early tracing and multi?venue coordination crucial.
3. Upbits Recovery and Controls
Upbit says it deployed an On?chain Tracking Service (OTS) to monitor flows and blacklist addresses, enabling quick coordination with exchanges to freeze funds (recovery details). To harden security, Upbit shifted 99% of customer assets to cold storage, exceeding Koreas 80% minimum, following the Solana?linked breach (cold storage move).
Rapid freezes plus cold?storage dominance help contain damage; users may see slower withdrawals during stress but face lower hot?wallet risk.
Conclusion
Binance is the exchange publicly named for freezing Solana hack fundsthough only a partial amountwhile Upbit led coordination that locked $1.77 million across venues. The episode underscores that swift, multi?exchange action matters, and legal constraints can limit foreign platforms immediate freeze capacity.
