Binance told its users at 10:51 UTC on Nov. 5 to drop any SignalPlus API key12. SignalPlus links trading accounts to exchanges through those keys. Changpeng Zhao, the exchange's founder, posted the same advice 14 minutes later, from his own account3. By midday, his post held more than double the likes of the company's own notice.
Two Warnings, 14 Minutes Apart
Binance's own account spoke first. At 10:51 UTC it wrote: “Following a potential security issue reported by third-party platform SignalPlus, we have proactively removed all API keys linked to SignalPlus as an immediate precautionary measure”2. Binance added that its own systems stayed clear, and that user funds remained safe.
Zhao's post came 14 minutes later. “If you use SignalPlus for any other exchange platform, it's time to revoke all your API keys,” he wrote3. He named Deribit too, the exchange that had flagged the problem first.
By 12:04 UTC, Zhao's lead had grown to 413 likes. His post held 715 likes, 218 replies and 93 reposts. Binance's own notice held 302 likes, 97 replies and 49 reposts23.
CZ's Post Drew 715 Likes to Binance's 302 on the Same Warning, Nov. 5
Likes on each account's post about the SignalPlus API risk, as of 12:04 UTC, Nov. 5, 2026
- CZ (@cz_binance): 715 likes
- Binance (@binance): 302 likes
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| CZ (@cz_binance) | 715 likes |
| Binance (@binance) | 302 likes |
Binance's account counts 16.14 million followers. Zhao's personal account counts 12.98 million, 3.2 million fewer23. The smaller account still drew the bigger response. Reach alone explains little of Zhao's 413-like lead.
A Founder the Market Still Trusts
Zhao stepped down as chief executive in November 20239. He had pleaded guilty earlier that same month to failing to run an effective anti-money-laundering program at the exchange. Four months in prison followed, in 2024. President Trump pardoned him in October 2025.
Richard Teng now runs Binance as chief executive, a title Zhao gave up three years ago. Teng has said the company bears the cost of its own mistakes. “The full financial impact will be borne by us. Users are not compromised,” he said on Nov. 3, a week after the exchange's $6.34 billion hack410.
The FBI has linked that hack to North Korea. Attackers spent months inside Binance's systems, from a tampered software download in June to a wallet drain on Oct. 294. Binance says it has replenished 98 percent of the lost funds10.
From a $6.34 Billion Hack on Oct. 29 to a Warning on Nov. 5
Dated events from Binance's hack to the SignalPlus warning that outdrew its own notice
Sources: X [2]; X [3]; The Block [4]; Cointelegraph [7].
Read the chart as a table
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct. 29, 2026 | The wallet drain: $6.34 billion stolen |
| Nov. 2, 2026 | OKX Europe's CEO: trust needs proof |
| Nov. 5, 2026 | CZ's SignalPlus post outdraws Binance's |
Shilika Jain, a public-relations specialist for crypto founders, says a personal account earns trust a brand account struggles to match. “Your personal brand is not your protocol's Twitter account. It is you, talking about what you believe, in public, consistently. The protocol account announces. Your personal account argues,” she wrote8.
Erald Ghoos, chief executive of OKX Europe, made the opposite case on Nov. 2, three days before Zhao's post7. “Users shouldn't have to take a platform's security on faith. They should be able to see it for themselves,” he wrote, calling for independent audits across the exchange industry.
Zhao's own words complicate his side of that argument. “Binance, the industry as a whole, has not invested enough in security,” he said on Nov. 5, the same day his post outdrew the company's6.
By the numbers
- Zhao's post: 715 likes, 218 replies, 93 reposts, as of 12:04 UTC on Nov. 53.
- Binance's own notice: 302 likes, 97 replies, 49 reposts, the same minute2.
- Reach: Binance's account counts 16.14 million followers; Zhao's personal account counts 12.98 million23.
- The Oct. 29 hack: $6.34 billion left Binance's wallets, the exchange's own incident report says4.
- Recovery: Binance says it has replenished 98 percent of the funds it lost4.
- BNB, Binance's exchange token, traded at $714.30 at 12:04 UTC on Nov. 5, up 2.0 percent over the prior day5.
What to watch
Watch whether Binance's own account closes that 413-like lead the next time a security notice goes out. Whether SignalPlus publishes its own account of what the "potential security issue" covered is worth watching too. Either answer would show where crypto users point their trust next: at the brand, or at the man who built it.
Sources
- Rony Roy, "Binance Revokes SignalPlus API Keys After Potential Security Issue," crypto.news, Nov. 5, 2026, https://crypto.news/binance-revokes-signalplus-api-keys-after-potential-security-issue/
- Binance (@binance), X post, Nov. 5, 2026, https://x.com/binance/status/2118295116716589383
- Changpeng Zhao (@cz_binance), X post, Nov. 5, 2026, https://x.com/cz_binance/status/2118298620797812955
- Jason Shubnell, "Binance Says Hackers Used Fake Job Interview, Internal AI Tool in $6.3 Billion Breach," The Block, Nov. 3, 2026, https://www.theblock.co/news/business/2026-11-03-binance-hack-incident-report-north-korea-fake-job-interview-ai-tool-432406
- CoinGecko, BNB price page, retrieved Nov. 5, 2026, https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/binancecoin
- Emmanuel Musa, "CZ Warns AI Is Outpacing Crypto Defenses After $6.3B Binance Hack," news.bitcoin.com, Nov. 5, 2026, https://news.bitcoin.com/security/cz-warns-ai-is-outpacing-crypto-defenses-after-6-3b-binance-hack/
- Erhan Kahraman, "Crypto Users Shouldn't Have to Take Security on Faith, Says OKX Europe CEO," Cointelegraph, Nov. 2, 2026, https://cointelegraph.com/commissioned/crypto-users-shouldnt-have-to-take-security-on-faith-says-okx-europe-ceo
- Shilika Jain, "How to Build a Personal Brand as a Crypto Founder in 2026," shilikajain.com, 2026, https://www.shilikajain.com/playbook/personal-brand-crypto-founder-2026
- Indrani Sen, "Fortune Archives: The Man Behind the Crypto Exchange Hit With a $6.3B Heist," Fortune, Nov. 1, 2026, https://fortune.com/2026/11/01/fortune-archives-the-man-behind-the-crypto-exchange-hit-with-a-6-3b-heist/
- Kristen Altus, "Binance Co-CEO Says Customers Won't Lose a Dime After Massive $6B Heist," Yahoo Finance, Nov. 3, 2026, https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/binance-co-ceo-says-customers-170706313.html