In a significant cybersecurity incident, the Iran-based cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex has reportedly fallen victim to a substantial security breach, resulting in the theft of over $81 million in digital assets.
The perpetrators, a hacker group claiming ties to Israel, have taken responsibility for this audacious attack.
As reported by Breitbart, the breach was first disclosed in a Telegram post, revealing that the attack targeted funds across the Tron network and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchains. The incident has raised concerns about the security of digital assets, particularly in regions with heightened geopolitical tensions. According to crypto investigator ZachXBT, the hackers exploited the exchange's protocol using "vanity addresses," leading to suspicious outflows from several Nobitex-linked wallets.
In response, Nobitex confirmed the unauthorized access to a portion of its internet-accessible "hot wallets" and promptly suspended them. The exchange reassured its users that their assets remain secure in cold storage and that the breach affected only a fraction of the assets in hot wallets. Nobitex has committed to compensating all damages through its insurance fund and internal resources.
The hacker group, identified as "Gonjeshke Darande," has threatened to release Nobitex's source code and internal files within 24 hours, putting any remaining assets on the platform at risk. The group accused Nobitex of being central to the Iranian regime's efforts to finance global terrorism and evade sanctions.
This accusation underscores the complex interplay between digital currencies and international politics, where cryptocurrencies can be both a tool for financial freedom and a potential instrument for illicit activities.
Yehor Rudytsia, a security researcher at the blockchain security firm Hacken, highlighted the challenges in recovering the stolen assets. He noted that the assets, spread across more than 20 tokens on EVM, were sent to clean burner addresses, complicating recovery efforts. However, there remains a glimmer of hope for partial recovery if USDT reissues the $55 million worth of stolen stablecoins.
The Nobitex breach is part of a troubling trend in the cryptocurrency industry, with over $2.1 billion in digital assets stolen this year alone, as reported by blockchain security firm CertiK. These losses are predominantly due to wallet compromises, key mismanagement, and operational issues rather than more sophisticated protocol-level hacks.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in the rapidly evolving world of digital finance, where security measures must continually adapt to counter emerging threats.
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