A Fake Job Interview Became the Entry Point for Binance’s $6.3 Billion Cyber Heist

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central claim about the Binance attack?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Technical weaknesses were irrelevant to the theft.
   2. A long-planned attack exploited ordinary professional trust.
   3. Binance deliberately funded the perpetrators’ operation.
   4. Recruitment platforms caused most cryptocurrency thefts.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A long-planned attack exploited ordinary professional trust.

   The attack paired lengthy preparation with exploitation of professional trust.

   The hackers returned with a more personal strategy.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention the failed June intrusion?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To show that Binance ignored an obvious warning
   2. To explain how attackers learned about their target
   3. To prove the June operation caused the cryptocurrency loss
   4. To contrast technical and financial investigations
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain how attackers learned about their target

   It shows the failed attempt helped attackers study their target.

   Binance detected that effort and stopped it, yet the failed intrusion gave the attackers an opportunity to study the company and its defenses.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “that effort” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The recruitment process
   2. The cryptocurrency transfer
   3. The June systems attack
   4. The cybersecurity review
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The June systems attack

   The phrase refers to the June testing and penetration attempt.

   In an initial assessment, the cryptocurrency exchange said hackers first tested and attempted to penetrate its security systems in June.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the interviewers’ use of online materials?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They were primarily assessing the engineer’s technical skills.
   2. They were creating an appearance of institutional legitimacy.
   3. They were documenting the engineer’s employment history.
   4. They were publicly acknowledging responsibility.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They were creating an appearance of institutional legitimacy.

   The materials were intended to make the fictional company seem credible.

   According to Binance, the interviewers shared purported social-media accounts, photographs, and videos in an effort to establish credibility and build trust.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized overall?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. From financial consequences to unrelated industry history
   2. From failed defenses to a definition and subsequent response
   3. From employee testimony to a legal judgment
   4. From technical instructions to investment advice
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   From failed defenses to a definition and subsequent response

   It moves from events to explanation and then Binance’s response.

   Binance said it was taking several measures in response, including commissioning an independent cybersecurity review.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between routine behavior and vulnerability?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Routine procedures eliminate the need for verification.
   2. Routine contexts can make harmful requests appear trustworthy.
   3. Recruitment is inherently more dangerous than finance.
   4. Software downloads are safe when interviews are genuine.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Routine contexts can make harmful requests appear trustworthy.

   Routine activities can make harmful requests seem trustworthy.

   In this case, the apparent normality of recruitment helped conceal the danger of the software download.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article describe the deception as unusually advanced?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It involved no human manipulation whatsoever.
   2. It integrated credible recruitment tactics with malicious software.
   3. It relied exclusively on unprecedented encryption technology.
   4. It targeted only public information rather than employees.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It integrated credible recruitment tactics with malicious software.

   The scheme used convincing recruitment tactics to deliver malicious code.

   Binance described the deception as more advanced than social-engineering methods it had previously encountered.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the article place on its account of the attackers?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It provides no information about the perpetrators.
   2. It identifies the group but not individual attackers.
   3. It identifies Binance employees as the perpetrators.
   4. It names each attacker but not their group.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It identifies the group but not individual attackers.

   The article identifies the group but gives no individual names.

   The FBI identified the perpetrators as TraderTraitor, a North Korean state-sponsored military unit.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.