Are Russian hackers behind the $530m Coincheck hack?
- Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that the malware found in the exchange leads to Russian hackers.
- The hack is regarded as one of the biggest ever thefts from a cryptocurrency exchange.
As reported by Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, the January 2018 Coincheck hack seems to have been conducted by a group of Russian hackers or hackers from Eastern Europe. The hack is regarded as one of the biggest ever thefts from a cryptocurrency exchange to date. In January 2018, Coincheck experienced a breach which saw them lose 500 million NEM, which was worth a staggering $530 million at the time.
Previously, North Korea was suspected to be behind the hack. However, on Monday, Asahi reported that a malware was found in the exchange which had been emailed to employees. It consists of malware called “Mokes” and “Netwire,” which enables hackers to acquire and operate the infected computer remotely. Mokes was first marketed in Russia in June 2011 and is supposed to be used among Russian hackers. Netwire, on the other hand, has been around for 12 years. Asahi also revealed that an American cybersecurity expert conducted an investigation, and told them that hackers from Russia or Eastern Europe might be associated with the attack.
Author
Rajarshi Mitra
Independent Analyst
Rajarshi entered the blockchain space in 2016. He is a blockchain researcher who has worked for Blockgeeks and has done research work for several ICOs. He gets regularly invited to give talks on the blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
