Russian hackers linked to Coincheck’s 2018 $530 million hack attack
- The two viruses identified "Mokes" and "Netwire" were found in the personal computers of the employees of Coincheck.
- The new report casts doubt in previous assumptions that had linked North Korean hackers.
A new report of the investigation into the hacked Coincheck exchange has revealed that the personal computers of the employees have been to have been infected by a virus originating from a Russian hacker syndicate.
Coincheck reported a massive hack attack in January 2018 where hackers made away with about $530 million in NEM cryptocurrency. According to Cointelegraph Japan, which cites Asahi Shimbun a local news agency has introduced doubt in earlier assumptions that had linked attackers from North Korea.
The investigators are currently entertaining the idea that the attack was carried out by “an unknown group of hackers.” The two viruses identified "Mokes" and "Netwire" were found in the personal computers of the employees of Coincheck and that they could have been transferred via an email in order to gain access into the exchanges private keys.
According to a United States expert:
"From the analysis of the virus, Eastern Europe and Russia may be related to the server criminal group of the base."
In other news, Korean cryptocurrency exchanges have been forced to accept liability for potential hacks. This comes after Bithumb suffered two attacks in just one year. Moreover, not long ago Binance lost 7,000 Bitcoin from some of its compromised hot wallets.
Read more:
Five South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges to take liability for potential hacks
Author
John Isige
FXStreet
John Isige is a seasoned cryptocurrency journalist and markets analyst committed to delivering high-quality, actionable insights tailored to traders, investors, and crypto enthusiasts. He enjoys deep dives into emerging Web3 tren
