Bitget Says Suspected North Korean Hackers Stole $351.6 Million
Summary
Bitget says unauthorized transfers from its hot and warm wallets led to a $351.6 million theft. Withdrawals were paused while the exchange investigates; it says its protection fund will cover losses and cold wallets were unaffected.
Key points
- Bitget said it detected multiple unauthorized transfers on Thursday evening, resulting in about $351.6 million in assets being affected.
- The exchange said attackers compromised a backend wallet system, spoofed transaction data, and triggered its authorization process; the specific intrusion method remains under investigation.
- The incident involved several blockchains and assets, including ETH, XRP, BNB, AVAX, USDT, and USDC.
- Bitget temporarily suspended withdrawals while it investigates with law enforcement and security firms; it said withdrawals will resume once investigators confirm it is safe.
- Bitget said its self-custodial wallet and cold wallets were unaffected, and its User Protection Fund will cover the losses.
- The company linked the attack to suspected North Korean hackers based on IP behavior and on-chain analysis; this attribution has not been presented as independently confirmed.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Bitget
- Incident Type
- Cryptocurrency theft involving unauthorized transfers from Bitget hot and warm wallets. The attacker reportedly compromised a backend wallet-service system, spoofed transaction data, and triggered the authorization-signing process.
- Affected Data Size
- $351.6 million in assets, according to Bitget's current assessment.
- Operational Impact
- Bitget temporarily suspended withdrawals during the investigation. Deposits and trading continued normally; Bitget said cold wallets and the self-custodial Bitget Wallet were unaffected.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- None reported; Bitget said its User Protection Fund would cover the losses.
- Claim Status
- confirmed