Han
The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office is facing an embarrassing storm of asset loss. Multiple South Korean media outlets reported this week that during a routine inventory of criminally seized assets, the office discovered that the private key to a Bitcoin stored on a USB drive had been altered, and it is rumored that approximately 70 billion won (about US$48 million) in assets have been transferred out.
Single-operation and phishing websites become the breakthrough.
Sources familiar with the matter revealed that a government official handling the case connected to a suspected fraudulent website during an inspection, potentially exposing his password or triggering malware that allowed attackers to obtain his private key. This incident highlights the mismatch between asset size and security capabilities.
An insider told the media in a low-key manner:
The incident occurred during a routine inspection, and details cannot be confirmed at this time.
Warning signs of asset custody by law enforcement agencies
Essentially, recovering stolen assets is virtually impossible, leading the tech industry to question why South Korean prosecutors didn't adopt multi-signature wallets or tiered approval processes. Experts point out that any offline device unlocked while connected to the internet could create a single point of failure.
The Gwangju Prosecutor's Office has only stated that the investigation is ongoing, with further details yet to be released. However, if the loss of 70 billion won in assets is indeed the case, it would be enough to shake public confidence in the official custody of crypto assets. As law enforcement agencies increasingly hold virtual currencies, strengthening multi-signature authentication, hardware isolation, and personnel training will become unavoidable governance challenges in the new normal.
Personal Asset Security Protection Teaching
This incident once again proves that in the world of cryptocurrency, the most powerful adversary is often not hackers' technology, but human negligence.
Core principle: Private keys should never be exposed to the internet.
Avoid digital backups: Never take screenshots, photos of your private key, or store seed phrase in Notepad, cloud storage, or email.
Use a hardware wallet: Choose a cold wallet such as Ledger or Trezor. The private key of this type of device is locked in an encryption chip and does not leave the device even when connected to a computer.
Spotting Fishing Traps: Strict Operating Environment Management
Dedicated computer for specific purposes: Computers used for handling large amounts of assets should be kept clean, free from cracked software, unknown websites, and even social media accounts.
Reject unknown links: Any emails, text messages, or pop-ups asking you to "re-verify your private key" or "update your wallet" are 100% scams.
Regular "drills" and inspections
Verify backup: Regularly check that the physical seed phrase is clear and legible (it is recommended to use a stainless steel plate for engraving to prevent fire damage).
Small-amount test: Before forwarding large sums of money, make a very small test transfer to confirm that the address is correct and the process is working correctly.
