Synopsis
Mandiant Solutions, a Google subsidiary and cybersecurity expert, confirmed that cryptocurrency exchange WazirX’s laptops were secure amidst a cyberattack that stole over $230 million. Mandiant found no evidence of laptop compromise during their probe. Investigations to recover assets and identify culprits continue.
Cryptocurrency exchange WazirX said on August 19 that its laptops were not compromised in the recent cyberattack, which resulted in the theft of digital assets exceeding $230 million (Rs 2,000 crores) from one of their Multisig wallets.
To investigate the breach, WazirX engaged Mandiant Solutions, a Google subsidiary, to conduct a forensic analysis. Mandiant’s report, submitted on August 14, stated, “We did not identify evidence of compromise on the three laptops that were used for signing transactions.” The detailed report is still pending, and WazirX has indicated that the preliminary findings suggest the issue may have originated from Liminal. A response from Liminal on this matter is still awaited.
Multisig wallets, which require multiple private keys to access and move funds, were involved in the breach. The incident resulted in WazirX losing nearly 45% of its holding assets. The hacked wallet had six signatories — five from WazirX and one from Liminal, the infrastructure and custody partner.
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TOP COIN SETSCrypto Blue Chip – 5-2.49% BuySmart Contract Tracker-2.77% BuyBTC 50 :: ETH 50-3.68% BuyNFT & Metaverse Tracker-4.45% BuyWeb3 Tracker-7.50% BuyTOP COINS (₹) Tether84 (-0.09%)BuyBNB44,742 (-1.33%)BuySolana11,815 (-2.81%)BuyEthereum216,204 (-3.11%)BuyBitcoin4,870,599 (-3.51%)BuyWazirX explained, “All transactions from the Multisig wallet required approval from three members of WazirX, followed by final authorization from Liminal.”
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View Details »A WazirX spokesperson added, “We are fully cooperating with the investigating agencies and are actively working to recover the stolen funds. We hope those responsible for the attack will be brought to justice.”
Earlier in August, WazirX filed an FIR with the Delhi Special Cell under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Information Technology Act. According to the FIR, on July 18, WazirX experienced errors on the Liminal platform, which was followed by the discovery that a significant portion of assets had been transferred to unauthorized addresses. Subsequent investigations revealed that hackers had stolen approximately $234 million from Liminal’s custody.
In addition to filing the FIR, WazirX has reported the incident to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) India and CERT-In, and has contacted over 500 exchanges to block the identified addresses. The platform has also launched a bounty program, offering rewards of up to $10,000 in USDT for actionable intelligence leading to the recovery of the stolen funds, along with a White Hat Bounty of up to $23 million.
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