Cryptocurrency exchange CoinEx confirmed that a hacker stole millions of dollars in cryptocurrency in an attack on Tuesday.
The global exchange, founded in 2017, did not respond to requests for comment, but saying In a statement they detected โanomalous withdrawalsโ from several wallets that are used to store the platform's assets.
An investigation team discovered several unauthorized transactions involving ETH, TRON, and Polygon coins. While the company said the amount of losses is still being determined, blockchain data collected by several cryptocurrency security firms shows that around $31 million in coins were stolen from the platform.
Urgent Notice: Security Incident at CoinEx - Immediate Actions Underway
On September 12, 2023, our Risk Control System detected anomalous withdrawals from several hot wallet addresses used to store CoinEx exchange assets. Quickly recognizing the seriousness of the situation, we...
โ CoinEx Global (@coinexcom) September 12, 2023
Researchers at blockchain security company PeckShield saying About $19 million in ETH, $11.5 million in TRON, and $295,000 in Polygon coins were drained from the CoinEx platform.
CoinEx said in its statement that the stolen funds were a "very small portion" of the platform's total assets.
โWe assure all users: their assets are safe and intact. Affected parties will receive 100% compensation for any loss due to this breach. For added security, deposit and withdrawal services are temporarily suspended and will resume after a thorough review,โ the company said, pledging to eventually provide a โfullโ report on the incident.
โIn these difficult times, we sincerely seek your understanding and patience. Our priority has always been and will continue to be the safety and trust of our users. โWe deeply regret any distress this may have caused and assure you of our unwavering dedication to safeguarding your interests.โ
in a follow-up statementCoinEx said it has identified and isolated the wallet addresses linked to the attack.
#CoinExResponseUpdate - We have identified and isolated the suspicious wallet addresses linked to the hack:$ETH:
*0xce013682eddefaca8c94fe56a43a04212ebe4673
*0x8bf8cd7F001D0584F98F53a3d82eD0bA498cC3dE
*0xCC1AE485b617c59a7c577C02cd07078a2bcCE454โฆโ CoinEx Global (@coinexcom) September 12, 2023
They are now working to create a solution for those affected and urged other cryptocurrency exchanges to be on the lookout for any activity related to the addresses.
After a brief lull in attacks in early 2023, several cryptocurrency platforms have faced incidents in recent months. During the last three months, Exactly Protocol, Port Protocol and Vyper, one of the most popular Web3 programming languages, have been exploited by hackers.
Several of the most recent incidents were blamed on hackers connected to the North Korean military, including a $35 million hack of a cryptocurrency platform Atomic walletto $100 million hack of Atomic Wallet on June 2, as well as two attacks on June 22 in which cybercriminals stole $60 million from Alfapo and 37 million dollars Coins Paid.
North Korea's Lazarus hacking group has been one of the main drivers of attacks on cryptocurrency platforms, using billions in stolen digital assets to allegedly fund their nuclear weapons program.
Blockchain research company Chain analysis found that 2022 was a banner year for hackers attacking cryptocurrency companies, with around $3.8 billion in total stolen from companies in the sector, up from $3.3 billion in 2021.
Jonathan Greig
Jonathan Greig is a breaking news reporter at Recorded Future News. Jonathan has worked as a journalist around the world since 2014. Before returning to New York City, he worked for media outlets in South Africa, Jordan and Cambodia. He previously covered cybersecurity at ZDNet and TechRepublic.
