Remitano, a cryptocurrency exchange primarily serving emerging markets, experienced a significant security breach on Thursday, resulting in the loss of approximately $2.7 million across various digital currencies. The incident was detected by Cyvers Alerts, a network specializing in identifying suspicious activities on blockchains, when unusual transactions involving Remitano began to emerge.
Around 12:45 p.m., an alert was triggered as a known Remitano hot wallet started transferring funds to an unfamiliar address. The suspicious transactions included $1.4 million in Tether, $208,000 in USD Coin, and Ankr tokens valued at $2,000 at the time. In response to the alert, Tether swiftly froze the $1.4 million USDT, preventing a major portion of the total assets from being completely lost.
Despite these countermeasures, Remitano has yet to issue any formal announcements regarding the breach. The details of all stolen coins remain undisclosed. However, this incident is not the first of its kind this year; 2023 has seen a series of cryptocurrency exchange breaches that have exposed private keys and led to substantial thefts.
In fact, U.S. authorities attribute these malicious activities to the Lazarus Group, believed to be linked to the North Korean government. The group is suspected of draining $41 million from the Stake gambling platform and another $27 million from CoinEX earlier this year. The cumulative thefts attributed to the Lazarus Group for this year alone are estimated at over $200 million.
These incidents underscore the ongoing concerns about high-value thefts in the digital currency space. As these attacks become more frequent, they highlight the need for robust security protocols and swift countermeasures to protect investor assets. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has urged crypto entities to remain vigilant and avoid transactions linked to flagged addresses associated with the Lazarus Group.
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