Binance launches withdrawal lock feature to address risks of "wrench attacks" and other offline coercion

According to market news, Binance has announced the launch of a user-controlled "Withdraw Protection" feature, aimed at preventing offline coercion attacks (commonly known as "wrench attacks") against cryptocurrency holders. This feature allows users to actively lock their account withdrawal permissions for 1 to 7 days and provides a stricter "lock mode," which cannot be lifted early during the set period.

Binance stated that this locking mechanism cannot be overridden by platform customer service but is controlled by internal policy, not an on-chain cryptographic lock. Binance's Chief Security Officer, Jimmy Su, indicated that this move stems from the risk trends observed on the platform, including cases where some users in high-risk areas have been forced to transfer funds. By setting a withdrawal delay, it can buy users time to respond and recover in extreme situations.

Data shows that incidents of offline coercion against cryptocurrency users are significantly rising in 2025, with related attacks often bypassing traditional account security mechanisms, as the actions are completed by the users themselves under pressure. Industry insiders believe that the time-lock mechanism can change this risk model to some extent. Binance emphasizes that this feature does not affect law enforcement agencies' ability to act in accordance with the law, while also advising users to strengthen API key management and privacy protection to reduce the risk of being targeted.