Cryptopia Liquidation Hack
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It seems fairly certain that the funds were not stored in a multi-signature wallet, and may even have been connected to an online system. It's possible that only a portion of the tokens were taken since the others were locked into a staking contract.
This exchange or platform is based in New Zealand, or the incident targeted people primarily in New Zealand.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
About Cryptopia
"Controversy still surrounds a liquidated New Zealand cryptocurrency exchange, which allegedly got hacked again. Adding to the $30 million stolen in 2019, Cryptopia reports that it was the target of another theft incident on February 1, 2021." "Cryptopia’s liquidators were appointed in May 2019 to start the process of shutting down the crypto exchange."
"Cyber fraudsters withdrew $ 45,000 worth of crypto assets from the New Zealand bitcoin exchange Cryptopia, which has been in the process of liquidation since 2019." "Liquidator Grant Thornton New Zealand said it hadn’t authorized the movement of funds and that it is investigating the incident, according to an email seen by Stuff." "The news comes soon after Grant Thornton finally started allowing former users of the exchange to enter claims to retrieve their assets."
"The wallet belongs to Stakenet and is under the control of Cryptopia’s liquidators, Grant Thornton. Per the findings, the dormant wallet was holding around $1.96 million worth of XSN, Stakenet’s native token." "According to Stuff.co.nz, the hackers took around NZD 62,000 ($45,000) worth of cryptocurrencies from the troubled exchange. The alert first came from Stakenet, a U.S.-based blockchain firm." "An email, seen by Stuff, from Grant Thornton’s Tom Aspin to Stakenet said it was investigating the transaction, which was not authorised by the liquidator." "Grant Thornton did not respond to requests for comment. It is understood the liquidator has contacted police about the alleged theft." "As of press time, they haven’t addressed the recent alleged hack publicly." "The incident is under investigation."
This exchange or platform is based in New Zealand, or the incident targeted people primarily in New Zealand.
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.
| Date | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
| February 15th, 2021 | Main Event | Expand this into a brief description of what happened and the impact. If multiple lines are necessary, add them here. |
Technical Details
This section includes specific detailed technical analysis of any security breaches which happened. What specific software vulnerabilities contributed to the problem and how were they exploited?
Total Amount Lost
The total amount lost has been estimated at $45,000 USD.
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
There do not appear to have been any funds recovered in this case.
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?
General Prevention Policies
This type of breach can be prevented through moving funds into an offline multi-signature wallet, which is controlled by trusted and trained individuals.
Individual Prevention Policies
No specific policies for individual prevention have yet been identified in this case.
For the full list of how to protect your funds as an individual, check our Prevention Policies for Individuals guide.
Platform Prevention Policies
Policies for platforms to take to prevent this situation have not yet been selected in this case.
For the full list of how to protect your funds as a financial service, check our Prevention Policies for Platforms guide.
Regulatory Prevention Policies
No specific regulatory policies have yet been identified in this case.
For the full list of regulatory policies that can prevent loss, check our Prevention Policies for Regulators guide.
References
- ↑ The Complete List of Crypto Exchange Hacks - CryptoSec (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Troubled NZ Crypto Exchange Cryptopia Suffers Another Hack in the Midst of Liquidation Process – Security Bitcoin News (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Troubled NZ Crypto Exchange Cryptopia Suffers Another Hack in the Midst of Liquidation Process - Crypto Investor News (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Cryptopia Hacked Again (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Troubled NZ Crypto Exchange Cryptopia Suffers Another Hack in the Midst of Liquidation Process (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Cryptopia crypto exchange robbed : Hackers withdrew $ 45 thousand worth of crypto assets | City Telegraph (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Cryptopia Exchange, Currently in Liquidation, Gets Hacked Again: Report (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ Assets Worth 62000 Allegedly Stolen From Liquidated Company Cryptopia (May 11, 2021)
- ↑ SlowMist Hacked - SlowMist Zone (Jun 26, 2021)