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Hacking

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April 2024

North Korean hackers laundered US$200 mln in stolen crypto, says blockchain sleuth

Lazarus Group’s crypto laundering operation exposed by on-chain investigator.

Hacker nearly nets US$50K in Wormhole airdrop

Wormhole team prevents hacker from claiming airdrop tokens.

January 2024

Investors lost 54.3% less crypto in 2023, Chainalysis says

The total value of stolen crypto decreased last year but the number of individual hacking incidents grew.

November 2023

ICBC forced to trade with USB drive due to ransomware attack

ICBC was disconnected from its trading partners after a cyberattack.

Is Hong Kong really in the forefront of the global digital money race?

Hong Kong is charging ahead in its digital currency initiatives, but more must be done to address the e-HKD’s environmental impact and security concerns.

How blockchain can fortify children’s online safety

Colossal failures in online age verification have opened the floodgates for kids to access harmful content and become ‘friends’ with adult strangers. Can encrypted decentralized IDs put a stop to all that?

October 2023

Philippines’ Coins.ph may have lost US$6 million worth of XRP in hack: The Block

Coins.ph, a cryptocurrency exchange based in the Philippines with millions of users, appeared to have lost 12.2 million XRP tokens, The Block reported on Friday.

Russian hackers may be behind FTX hack: Elliptic

The research firm said that on-chain data point toward Russian hackers, instead of the previously-suspected North Korean Lazarus Group.

September 2023

Have we learned anything from Curve Finance and DeFi’s susceptibility to attacks?

The DeFi giant may have escaped a death spiral, but exploits and code problems like what it recently suffered are more commonplace — and preventable — than what the industry acknowledges.

Hong Kong crypto network Mixin loses US$200 million in hack

Mixin Network announced Monday that the database of its cloud service provider was hacked, resulting in the loss of approximately US$200 million.

Hong Kong crypto exchange CoinEx suffers hack, at least US$43 million lost

Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange CoinEx Global suffered a security breach on Tuesday, resulting in an estimated loss of US$43 million in cryptocurrencies.

North Korean hackers stole US$41 million from gambling site: FBI

North Korea-backed Lazarus Group was behind the US$41 million hack of online crypto gambling platform Stake.com on Monday, FBI says.

Do you really trust the smart contracts in charge of your crypto?

Making sure the smart contracts behind DeFi platforms are thoroughly audited isn’t just a job for code developers — it’s also a must for ordinary investors.

August 2023

DeFi revenue remains resilient despite Curve Finance hack

Even as the value of assets in DeFi dips, service provider revenues stand strong, undeterred by the US$73 million Curve Finance breach, Forkast Labs data shows.

Tornado Cash founders charged with money laundering crypto, including proceeds from North Korean heists

The Tornado Cash mixer’s co-founders have been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with money laundering and sanctions violations.

Bitcoin, Ether extend losses; most other top 10 cryptos fall

Bitcoin fell in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, dipping below the support level of US$29,000.

Web3 has a big security problem, and the industry is not doing enough to protect users: Opinion

If Web3 wants to be an alternative to traditional finance, the industry must make itself less vulnerable to hacks and security breaches, writes Richard Meissner.

July 2023

Bitcoin, Ether dip but remain range-bound following Curve Finance hack

Bitcoin and Ether prices dropped on Monday morning in Asia, but remained above key support levels. Altcoins fell on Curve Finance hack.

Improving crypto user experience is an imperative and need not come at the cost of security: Opinion

The key to making crypto easier to use while less prone to skulduggery lies in centralizing some security and UX features, writes Hsuan Lee of Blocto.

June 2023

Why DeFi token airdrops are risky and how to make them more secure: Opinion

Having a crypto wallet is necessary to participate in a token airdrop, but wallets are also vulnerable to hacks and mishaps, writes Ravindra Kumar of Frontier.

Crypto in the time of cockroaches

An account of a holiday from hell draws parallel to the dark world of cybercrime and how anyone can fall victim to sophisticated crypto thefts.

May 2023

Head of U.S. DOJ crypto enforcement eyes crackdown on non-compliant crypto exchanges: FT

The U.S. Department of Justice is aiming to crack down on cryptocurrency exchanges that help criminals facilitate money laundering

April 2023

Can crypto wallets be both accessible and hacker-proof?

Securing keys is an issue that has bedeviled the crypto world, as the $600M Ronin and $300M Wormhole heists have painfully shown. Is there a better way?

Hacker exploits old Yearn Finance contract, steals $11.6 mln in stablecoins

A hacker took advantage of an old contract from Yearn Finance on Thursday to steal US$11.6 million in stablecoins.

S. Korean exchange GDAC hacked, loses around 23% of its assets

South Korean exchange GDAC has suspended withdrawals and deposits after losing over US$13.1 million in Bitcoin, Ether, Wemix and USDT in a hack.

March 2023

Web3 crowdfunding launchpad Poolz Finance hacked for US$390,000 on BSC, Polygon

Poolz Finance, a cross-chain crowdfunding launchpad for Web3 projects, has been exploited for US$390,000 worth of digital assets

Euler Finance loses nearly US$200 mln in exploit

Euler Finance, a decentralized finance lending protocol has lost approximately US$197 million in an exploit, according to online crypto security analysts.

February 2023

Crypto hackers stole record US$3.8 bln in 2022, mostly from DeFi and cross-chain bridges: Chainalysis

Hackers stole at least US$3.8 billion in cryptocurrencies throughout 2022, a record-breaking year for crypto heists, says blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis.

January 2023

FTX says US$415 mln in crypto hacked since bankruptcy filing

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX told creditors that it lost around US$415 million worth of cryptocurrencies to hacks since it filed for bankruptcy.

North Korean hackers move 41,000 ETH stolen from Harmony Bridge attack

The Lazarus Group, a North Korean cybercrime organization, has transferred 41,000 Ether (US$63.9 million) stolen from the 2022 Harmony bridge hack onto cryptocurrency exchanges Binance, OKX and Huobi, according to blockchain data shared by Twitter sleuth ZachXBT.

Your fitness app knows a scary lot about you. How secure is your data?

Being on the watch, your tracker knows where you live, when you sleep and how healthy (or not) you are. What happens if your data is sold — or hacked?

CBDCs may drive more funds into DeFi protocols, says Immunefi’s Mitchell Amador

Immunefi founder Mitchell Amador believes the future security risks of CBDCs will highlight the benefits of DeFi.

German government warns of ‘Godfather’ malware targeting banking, crypto apps

Germany said “Godfather” virus generates a fake copy of a banking or crypto app login screen to appropriate a user’s information and steal funds.

December 2022

Late Nexon CEO’s US$6.7 mln crypto stolen; hacker gets six years in prison

A group of S.Korean hackers stole 8.5 billion Korean won (US$6.7 million) worth of cryptocurrencies from Kim Jung-ju, the late founder of Nexon.

BTC.com hacked, around US$3 mln assets stolen

Blockchain browser and mining pool BTC.com said on Monday that it got hacked earlier this month, and lost around US$2.3 million of its own assets and US$700,000 of clients’ assets.

Blockchain Security Issues

The blockchain sphere has been hit with a ton of security issues over 2022. What can we do about it to make things better?

FTX collapse will blunt activities of North Korea hackers, analyst says

The collapse of FTX.com and its far-reaching impacts will hinder North Korea’s ability to profit from cryptocurrency hacks, says one analyst.

November 2022

FTX alleged hacker is moving funds to dodge authorities: analysts

The alleged hacker behind the theft of hundreds of millions of dollars from the cryptocurrency exchange FTX is moving the funds around to separate wallets.

FTX hacker becomes 35th largest Ethereum holder

The address associated with the FTX hack swapped US$48.2 million worth of DAI stablecoins to 37,570 Ether and became the 35th largest holder of the world’s second-largest crypto.

FTX, authorities investigate potential US$477 mln theft

FTX officials confirmed on Sunday that unauthorized transactions have drained millions of remaining user funds from wallets over the weekend.

Token price of Ethereum-based play-to-earn company Gala Games falls some 20% after hacking scare

The network says the apparent attack was just a preemptive safeguard against an issue with a cross-chain bridge.

October 2022

Twitter user prevents 200 billion BitBTC bridge exploit, highlighting major vulnerability

A Twitter user highlighted a vulnerability in BitBTC’s Optimism bridge and averted what could have been the latest in a string of bridge exploits this month.

Moola Market DeFi hacker returns US$9 mln in stolen funds for bounty

The perpetrator of the US$9.1 million Moola Market exploit returned close to the entirety of the loot in exchange for an undisclosed ransom on Wednesday, according to the project’s social media update.   See related article: ‘Hacktober’ continues with US$1 mln taken from BitKeep token swap service Fast facts Decentralized finance (DeFi) project Moola Markets announced […]

‘Hacktober’ continues with US$1 mln taken from BitKeep token swap service

An unidentified hacker stole over US$1 million in Binance Coin (BNB) tokens from decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep’s token swap service on Monday, according to a Tuesday statement by the company. See related article: Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says Fast facts “Our development team managed to contain the emergency […]

Japan pushes for tougher crypto AML regulations amid N. Korean cyberattacks

The Japanese government approved amendments to existing financial regulations to prevent money laundering utilizing cryptocurrencies and increase penalties on those involved, according to local media reports. See related article: North Korea’s Lazarus Group attacks Japanese crypto firms, police say Fast facts The Cabinet, Japan’s executive body, approved the revisions to laws associated with the country’s […]

North Korea’s Lazarus Group attacks Japanese crypto firms, police say

North Korea-backed hacker group Lazarus has been sending phishing emails to Japanese crypto exchange employees to infect their computers with malware, causing some companies to have their systems hacked and cryptocurrencies stolen, Japan’s National Police Agency announced last week. See related article: DPRK hackers sneak US$52 mln in crypto into S.Korean exchanges: Chainalysis Fast facts […]

Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says

Decentralized finance sites are the preferred choice of hackers as crypto heists look to be on course to hit a record high this year.

DPRK hackers sneak US$52 mln in crypto into S.Korean exchanges: Chainalysis

South Korean media has reported that local crypto exchanges may become a “playground” for North Korean hackers.

BNB Chain back online after devs deploy update to save funds

Through quick identification and cooperation of network validators, most funds were saved in last week’s BNB Chain exploit.

BNB Chain back online after around $100 mln lost in possible exploit

Binance’s BNB Chain has come back online after being suspended earlier in the morning when an exploit was identified, the blockchain announced on Twitter on Friday afternoon in Asia. See related article: Binance suspends BNB blockchain on potential exploit; Peckshield reports US$572 mln hack Fast facts Changpeng Zhao, cofounder and chief executive officer of Binance, […]

Binance suspends BNB blockchain on potential exploit; Peckshield reports US$572 mln hack

The BNB Chain — the blockchain operated by the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance Global Inc. — has suspended operation as developers have identified a potential exploit on the network, according to an official Binance Twitter account. See related article: Chainalysis says $2 bln stolen in cross-chain bridge hacks this year, more expected Fast facts […]

Transit Swap hacker mulls return of more funds

A hacker in the Transit Swap recent hack will consider returning more funds after Transit Swap completes the first phase of user returns, according to a message transmitted on blockchain from one of the hacker’s addresses on Thursday. See related article: Hacker returned 70% of stolen US$23M in funds: Transit Swap Fast facts See related […]

Hacker has returned 70% of stolen US$23 mln in funds: Transit Swap

Cross-chain DEX (decentralized exchange) aggregator Transit Swap was exploited, resulting in US$23 million lost funds, crypto auditor SlowMist said on Sunday. The hacker has returned 70% of the stolen funds, Transit Swap said on the same day. See related article: Nomad’s US$200 million hack; Saylor steps down  Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]

September 2022

India’s CoinDCX Twitter handle hacked to peddle XRP

CoinDCX, India’s first crypto unicorn, asked users not to click on any link or messages from its official Twitter handle as the company lost control of the social media account following a hack. See related article: How Twitter hackers social-engineered their way into VIP accounts to shill for bitcoin Fast facts “We are in the […]

Hacks, losses in cryptocurrency offer vast opportunity for insurers

Cryptocurrency-related insurance is a vast untapped market, with less than 1% of crypto investments covered amid hacks and losses in the industry running into the billions of dollars, Cointelegraph reported, citing an executive from decentralized insurance protocol InsurAce. See related article: DeFi insurance: Why buy coverage for your digital assets? Fast facts Dan Thomson, the […]

US$30 mln seized from North Korea hacking group: report

Over US$30 million worth of cryptocurrency stolen by North Korea-linked hackers has been seized by law enforcement, with the help of crypto organizations like the Chainalysis Crypto Incident Response Team. See related article: North Korea behind Ronin hack: US Fast facts This marks the first time that digital assets stolen from North Korean hacking groups […]

BABL tanks 92% after Babylon Finance announces shut down

BABL, the native cryptocurrency of Babylon Finance, has lost 92% of its value after the decentralized finance (DeFi) asset management protocol’s founder Ramon Recuero on Wednesday announced plans to shut down its services. See related article: Chainalysis says $2 bln stolen in cross-chain bridge hacks this year, more expected Fast facts The token was trading […]

August 2022

NFT platform SudoRare vanishes with 519 Ethereum

Non-fungible token (NFT) platform SudoRare has allegedly run off with US$815,000 in user funds and deleted its social media accounts, raising alarms over investor protection.  See related article: Klaytn chief says reducing ‘human elements’ can prevent hacks Fast facts According to PeckShield Inc., a blockchain security and data analytics company, SudoRare took off with 519 […]

Ronin hackers converted stolen ETH to BTC using sanctioned mixers: report

The hackers responsible for stealing US$610 million worth of crypto from Axie Infinity’s Ronin bridge back in March have since transferred most funds from ETH into BTC using renBTC and privacy tools like Blender, ChipMixer, and TornadoCash, according to a report. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts The […]

No ‘conclusive evidence’ that US$6 mln Solana hack caused by loophole: Slope

Solana-based wallet Slope said on Thursday there is no “conclusive evidence” to connect its mobile wallet’s loophole with Solana’s recent breach, although 1,400 wallets connected to the loophole were drained. See related article: Seed-phrase leak from crypto wallet Slope prompts Solana hack Fast facts See related article: Solana blames Slope for exploit

Klaytn chief says reducing ‘human elements’ can prevent hacks

After high-profile cyberattacks on decentralized apps, the blockchain industry is in a hurry to ramp up security. Sam Sangmin Seo, head of Klaytn, tells Forkast that minimizing human error may be the key.

Investigating ‘The Hackening’; Crypto market inflows up

Why are cross-chain bridges so attractive for hackers? Also, we take a deeper dive into how the market reacts to it.

North Korea’s Lazarus Group allegedly targets deBridge

DeBridge cofounder Alex Smirnov on Saturday alleged their team found evidence that North Korean state-backed Lazarus Group was attempting to attack the cross-chain protocol, warning that the group’s attack could broadly target Web3 teams. See related article: After Nomad and Solana, ZB.com gets hacked for US$4.8 mln Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]

Seed-phrase leak from crypto wallet Slope prompts Solana hack

The massive Solana wallet hack had occurred after centralized servers stored unencrypted seed phrases sent by Slope Wallet’s mobile app, making them visible to anyone with access to the server, showed a preliminary finding from blockchain audit firm OtterSec. See related article: Solana blames Slope for exploit Fast facts See related article: After Nomad and […]

After Nomad and Solana, ZB.com gets hacked for US$4.8 mln

Crypto trading platform ZB.com, which halted withdrawals on Tuesday citing maintenance, may have been hacked to the tune of US$4.8 million, blockchain analytics firm PeckShield said on Wednesday. See related article: Nomad Bridge alerts law enforcement amid US$200 mln attack Fast facts According to PeckShield, hackers drained 21 different tokens from ZB.com, including USDT, USDC, […]

Solana blames Slope for exploit

The massive Solana wallet exploit that began on Wednesday Hong Kong time is believed to be related to the Slope mobile wallet app, while there is no evidence to show the blockchain’s code was compromised, Solana said. See related article:  Bitcoin, Ethereum little changed; Solana still lower after network hack Fast facts See related article: […]

Solana falls amid hack reports; Bitcoin, Ether edge higher in mixed markets

Solana fell 4% in Asia afternoon trading on Wednesday as reports surfaced of a hack that had drained thousands of wallets holding the token. Bitcoin and Ethereum edged higher, though U.S.-China tensions were a broader concern across all markets. Bitcoin traded at US$23,187 as of 4:30 p.m. in Hong Kong, up 1.47% in the prior […]

Solana hack affects over 7,000 Phantom, Slope wallets

Approximately 7,767 wallets have been affected in the Solana exploit as of 1 p.m. Hong Kong time. Solana-based wallets Slope and Phantom are on the list, Solana said. See related article: Cardano users said to be indirectly affected by Nomad’s US$200 mln exploit Fast facts See related article: Waves community approves repayment plan for lending […]

Cardano users said to be indirectly affected by Nomad’s US$200 mln exploit

Monday’s attack on Nomad indirectly affected Cardano users as the protocol was one of multiple bridges deployed to Milkomeda C1, a layer 2 protocol which allows Ethereum decentralized apps (dApps) to be deployed in the Cardano ecosystem, Milkomeda said. See related article: More than 300 addresses said to perpetrate Nomad’s US$200 mln exploit Fast facts […]

More than 300 addresses said to perpetrate Nomad’s US$200 mln exploit

More than 300 bad actors stole US$191 million from Nomad’s cross-chain bridge which resulted from a software upgrade that backfired, crypto analytics firm PeckShield told The Block on Tuesday. See related article: Nomad Bridge alerts law enforcement amid US$200 mln attack Fast facts A routine software update on one of Nomad’s smart contracts allowed users […]

Nomad Bridge alerts law enforcement amid US$200 mln attack

In an update to its followers on Tuesday evening Asia time, cross-chain bridge Nomad said it is working to identify the attacker and recover the funds after an exploit drained nearly US$200 million on Monday. See related article: Nirvana’s ANA token down more than 80% after US$3.5 mln hack  Fast facts “We are working around […]

July 2022

Nirvana’s ANA token down more than 80% after US$3.5 mln hack

Solana-based decentralized finance protocol Nirvana Finance was exploited in a flash loan attack for US$3.49 million on July 28, the firm announced in a Twitter post, causing its tokens to topple by more than 80%. See related article: C.R.E.A.M. Finance suffers $28M flash loan hack Fast facts Using flash loans on lending protocol Solend, the […]