WhiskChat Bitcoin Chatroom Data Breach

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WhiskChat

WhiskCoin was a bitcoin-powered chatroom created by a user named whiskers75. The site/service was breached in November 2013. The database which included usernames and hashed passwords was exposed to the attacker. Apparently the attacker also went after whiskers75 with a further DDOS attack to their home IP.

This is a global/international case not involving a specific country.

About WhiskChat

"What is a bitcoin-powered chatroom?" "It's a chatroom where you use bitcoins. Get them for chatting, tip them, donate them, withdraw them, deposit them..."

"This is a series of hacks: first WhiskChat, then CoinChat, then Inputs. :\"

"So, WhiskChat got hacked. Read my hypotheses on the hack. I'll update this with info as it comes. A database dump was posted on this account containing ALL user emails and HASHED passwords. However, hashed passwords may not be as safe as we think: I believe that this hash was used to hack into my other accounts, so change your passwords! I recommend LastPass for managing your passwords - JUST MAKE SURE YOU USE A SECURE (and I mean secure) MASTER PASSWORD! Sorry for the hack, it could happen to anyone - hopefully, it won't happen again."

"The Bitcointalk account whiskers75 was hacked. Please could theymos help recover it."

"Nope, it's not coming back. 'panama' is now DDoSing my home connection..."

This is a global/international case not involving a specific country.

The background of the exchange platform, service, or individuals involved, as it would have been seen or understood at the time of the events.

Include:

  • Known history of when and how the service was started.
  • What problems does the company or service claim to solve?
  • What marketing materials were used by the firm or business?
  • Audits performed, and excerpts that may have been included.
  • Business registration documents shown (fake or legitimate).
  • How were people recruited to participate?
  • Public warnings and announcements prior to the event.

Don't Include:

  • Any wording which directly states or implies that the business is/was illegitimate, or that a vulnerability existed.
  • Anything that wasn't reasonably knowable at the time of the event.

There could be more than one section here. If the same platform is involved with multiple incidents, then it can be linked to a main article page.

The Reality

This sections is included if a case involved deception or information that was unknown at the time. Examples include:

  • When the service was actually started (if different than the "official story").
  • Who actually ran a service and their own personal history.
  • How the service was structured behind the scenes. (For example, there was no "trading bot".)
  • Details of what audits reported and how vulnerabilities were missed during auditing.

What Happened

The specific events of the loss and how it came about. What actually happened to cause the loss and some of the events leading up to it.

Key Event Timeline - WhiskChat Bitcoin Chatroom Data Breach
Date Event Description
November 6th, 2013 4:27:36 PM First Event This is an expanded description of what happened and the impact. If multiple lines are necessary, add them here.

Total Amount Lost

The total amount lost is unknown.

How much was lost and how was it calculated? If there are conflicting reports, which are accurate and where does the discrepancy lie?

Immediate Reactions

How did the various parties involved (firm, platform, management, and/or affected individual(s)) deal with the events? Were services shut down? Were announcements made? Were groups formed?

Ultimate Outcome

What was the end result? Was any investigation done? Were any individuals prosecuted? Was there a lawsuit? Was any tracing done?

Total Amount Recovered

It is unknown how much was recovered.

What funds were recovered? What funds were reimbursed for those affected users?

Ongoing Developments

What parts of this case are still remaining to be concluded?

Prevention Policies

References

Inputs.io | Instant Payments, Offchain API, Secure Wallet, 235k+ BTC transferred (Mar 14)

GitHub - WhiskChat/whiskchat-server: WhiskChat! (Mar 20)

WhiskChat - open source Bitcoin-powered chatroom! : Bitcoin (Mar 20)

WhiskChat issues - YouTube (Mar 20)

WhiskChat (Mar 20)

Wayback Machine (Mar 20)

WhiskChat (Mar 20)

WhiskChat (Mar 20)

[PSA] WhiskChat Hack Analysis - CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS IF YOU USED WHISKCHAT! (Mar 20)

https://web.archive.org/web/20131119114620/https://pastebin.com/d1Wafvab (Mar 20)

Compromised user - StarryNight · Issue #56 · WhiskChat/whiskchat-server · GitHub (Mar 20)

whiskers75 (Mar 20)