- WazirX reported a significant security breach with losses exceeding $230 million in various cryptocurrencies.
- Hackers have been actively converting stolen assets, including Pepe (PEPE), Gala (GALA), and Tether (USDT), into Ethereum (ETH).
- The incident highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in cryptocurrency exchanges and the use of privacy tools like Tornado Cash to conceal illicit transactions.
Indian crypto exchange WazirX has suffered a security breach that resulted in the loss of more than $230 million in crypto, according to a recent release from the company.
The attack was initially reported by Cyvers Alert earlier today.
🚨ALERT🚨Hey @WazirXIndia, Our system has detected multiple suspicious transactions involving your Safe Multisig wallet on the #ETH network.
— 🚨 Cyvers Alerts 🚨 (@CyversAlerts) July 18, 2024
A total of $234.9M of your funds have been moved to a new address. Each transaction's caller is funded by @TornadoCash.
The suspicious… pic.twitter.com/4sajAwd4Hb
According to Cyvers, the hackers stole crypto assets, including Pepe (PEPE), Gala (GALA) and Tether (USDT), from the exchange’s Safe Multisig wallet, transferred the funds to a new address and then converted them to Ethereum (ETH).
Cyvers Alert says the suspicious address has already exchanged $PEPE, $GALA and $USDT for $ETH and continues to exchange other digital assets. It also says the hackers used Tornado Cash, a privacy-enhancing tool, to hide the movement of funds.
The Cyvers team said they tried to get in touch with WazirX but didn’t hear back.
Chain researcher ZachXBT says the attacker still had $100 million in Shiba Inu (SHIB) and $4.7 million in Floki (FLOKI) when they reported this.
Moving Forward: WazirX’s Recovery Strategy and Regulatory Challenges
The incident highlights the ongoing weaknesses in cryptocurrency exchanges, reigniting worries about security and regulatory scrutiny.
It’s still essential to hear from WazirX about what happened and how they’re going to put things right. People are waiting to hear how they’re going to make things better and keep this from happening again.
Industry experts say it’s crucial to be transparent and act fast in these situations. They’re calling for better teamwork between exchanges, regulators, and cybersecurity firms to protect investor assets.
As the situation develops, investors and industry observers are closely monitoring WazirX’s response and any regulatory implications that may arise.
We’ll keep you posted with further updates as more information becomes available.