The cryptocurrency world was thrown into chaos on September 12, when CoinEx, a well-known exchange, fell victim to an unrelenting cybersecurity breach. This audacious attack targeted multiple wallets, housing cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH), TRON (TRX), and Polygon (MATIC) tokens, resulting in a jaw-dropping heist that reached approximately $55.5 million by September 13, as revealed on Twitter by SlowMist.
Update: More hacker address balances were merged, and the total number of stolen funds was updated to ~$55.5M @coinexcom https://t.co/iOfXQiCaOc pic.twitter.com/V2WGWQvpLU
— MistTrack🕵️ (@MistTrack_io) September 13, 2023
As a result of the breach CoinEx took action to temporarily halt all deposits and withdrawals. Although this decision was concerning, it emphasized the seriousness of the situation. What made this breach particularly notable was the intrusion, into an ENS domain revealing both the audacity of the attacker and the potential dangers associated with such an incident.
Remarkably, the market response to this breach was relatively muted, with most affected tokens maintaining their stability. However, one token, BRG, developed by the Bridge Oracle team, saw a significant decline in value, raising concerns in the cryptocurrency community.
Responding promptly to the crisis, the Bridge Oracle team publicly called on CoinEx to find a resolution and compensate the community members who lost a substantial 669,487,946 BRG tokens. In response, CoinEx established a dedicated investigative team to confront the breach head-on. Initial findings uncovered unauthorized transactions involving cryptocurrencies like ETH, TRON, and MATIC.
CoinEx made a resolute commitment to fully compensate users who had suffered losses due to the breach, temporarily suspending deposit and withdrawal services. These services would only resume after a comprehensive security review.
In the wake of the breach, additional disclosures emerged, shedding light on the addresses and wallets used by the hackers. Notably, at the time of writing, a staggering 97% of all centralized exchange withdrawals were funnelled through CoinEx, according to data from Arkham Intelligence. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threats facing the cryptocurrency landscape and underscores the unwavering dedication of exchanges like CoinEx to safeguard their users’ assets, even in the face of adversity.
Furthermore, recent information suggests potential ties between the hackers and the North Korean group known as the Lazarus Group. SlowMist Exploiter, Stake Exploiter, and Alphapo Exploiter may all have connections to this notorious group, adding a geopolitical dimension to this already complex cybersecurity breach. The ever-evolving nature of these threats highlights the necessity for continuous vigilance and enhanced security measures within the cryptocurrency space.
