On September 12, Bitcoin Magazine reported that the CoinEx exchange was hacked, resulting in a loss of $54 million, with the perpetrator "targeted" by the FBI as North Korea's Lazarus Group.
In an important announcement, CoinEx published details about the attack and the response measures they have implemented to protect user assets.
According to the release, the attack was detected through CoinEx's risk control system. Unusual withdrawals from some hot wallet addresses caused the alert to pop up. The realization of the seriousness of the situation prompted CoinEx to immediately launch a detailed investigation.
The preliminary investigation determined that the cause of the attack was an information leak related to the hot wallet's private keys. This exposed all the secrets in the hot wallet to the attackers.
This attack is mainly focused on important Cryptoasset such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Solana (SOL), and many other cryptocurrencies other. The exact nature of the missing value is still being determined.
CoinEx has launched a series of urgent measures after identifying the attack:
Suspension of deposit and withdrawal services: All cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal services were suspended and the hot wallet server was immediately shut down to prevent the spread of the attack.
Safe asset transfer: The remaining assets in the affected hot wallet have been transferred to a safe address.
Rebuilding the wallet system: The hot wallet system is being rebuilt and redeployed to ensure safety.
Investigation: An investigation is underway to determine the identity of the attacker and gather necessary information.
Contacting Exchanges: CoinEx has contacted exchanges to freeze the attackers' assets.
CoinEx is actively rebuilding the wallet system, which includes 211 chain and 737 coins. This is expected to take time and the exchange will restore each cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal service after ensuring safety. Before the restore process is complete, CoinEx advises users NOT to deposit funds to the old address to avoid asset loss.
CoinEx is soliciting support from related projects and exchanges to freeze funds sent to suspicious wallet addresses involved in the attack. The community has responded to this call with support and a willingness to help during this difficult period.
