Hacking | FinTelegram News

Category: Hacking

November 15, 2024

Bitfinex Hack: Five-Year Sentence for Crypto Money Launderer Ilya Lichtenstein!

Ilya Lichtenstein, mastermind of the 2016 Bitfinex hack that drained 120,000 bitcoin, was sentenced to five years in prison for laundering billions in stolen cryptocurrency. His wife, Heather Morgan, awaits sentencing as details of their sophisticated laundering schemes emerge. On Aug. 3, 2023, Lichtenstein and Morgan both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

June 2, 2024

Crypto Crime: Japanese Exchange DMM Bitcoin Hacked for $308 Million!

Japanese crypto exchange DMM Bitcoin revealed on Friday that it has fallen victim to one of the most significant hacks in recent years, with over $300 million worth of Bitcoin stolen from its primary wallet. The breach occurred around 1:30 pm local time when DMM Bitcoin detected an unauthorized transfer of approximately 4,503 BTC—valued at about $308 million at the time. The company has yet to disclose the details of how the hack was executed but assured that an investigation is underway.

May 29, 2024

International Law Enforcement Operation Dismantles 911 S5 Botnet, Arrests Administrator for $9.5 Million Crypto Fraud!

In a coordinated international operation led by the U.S. DOJ, the notorious 911 S5 botnet was dismantled, resulting in the arrest of its administrator, YunHe Wang, a 35-year-old national of China and a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis by investment. The botnet, which infected over 19 million IP addresses, was used to facilitate billions of dollars in pandemic and unemployment fraud, cyber-attacks, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats, and export violations.

April 24, 2024

Cyberwar: DOJ Charges Four Iranians in Extensive Cyber Campaign Against U.S. Entities

The U.S. Department of Justice has unveiled charges against four Iranian nationals for their roles in a sophisticated multi-year cyber campaign targeting key U.S. institutions and companies. The indictment names Hossein Harooni, Reza Kazemifar, Komeil Baradaran Salmani, and Alireza Shafie Nasab as key operatives in a cyber-enabled scheme to infiltrate the U.S. government and private sector. The defendants remain at large.

April 14, 2024

Cyberfinance Watch: Smart Contract Hacker Sentenced to Three Years!

In another crypto crime case that underscores the vulnerabilities of decentralized crypto exchanges, a former security engineer, Shakeeb Ahmed, was sentenced to three years in prison for orchestrating hacks that resulted in the theft of over $12 million in cryptocurrency. U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero handed down the sentence, which also included three years of supervised release and a comprehensive forfeiture and restitution order.

October 22, 2023

Ragnar Locker Ransomware Gang Taken Down By International Law Enforcement Action

Europol recently revealed the dismantling of the infrastructure related to the Ragnar Locker ransomware and reported the arrest of a primary individual linked to this cyberthreat in France. The main suspect, believed to be the developer of the Ragnar group, faced the magistrates at the Paris Judicial Court. This operation also witnessed searches in Czechia, Spain, and Latvia, leading to the interrogation of five additional accomplices in Spain and Latvia.

September 23, 2023

Gen Z Hackers And The Dawn Of The New Cybercrime Age!

Palo Alto Networks has uncovered a new breed of cyberattacks led by groups known by names like Scattered Spider, UNC3944, or ALPHV. These hackers believed to be young individuals from Western countries, employ advanced impersonation techniques to breach major corporations. This trend suggests that as the digital-native Gen Z enters the scene, cybercrime is poised to evolve, heralding a new era of sophisticated digital threats.

August 3, 2023

CoinsPaid Recovered From Lazarus Crypto Heist, All Payment Requests Successfully Processed!

As reported by FinTelegram, the crypto payment processor CoinsPaid has been hacked by the North Korean cybercrime racket Lazarus Group. The company reported that approximately $37 million in cryptocurrency was stolen in this crypto heist. Recently, CoinsPaid announced a near-complete recovery of its weekly transaction volume. The company used data from the Crystal Blockchain service to illustrate its recovery progress.

July 30, 2023

Crypto Heist: Lazarus Group Allegedly Stole $37M From CoinsPaid In A Cyberattack!

Estonia-based crypto payment processor CoinsPaid, controlled by the Austrian national Alexander Horst Riedinger and his Ukraine partner Max Krupyshev, has reported that approximately $37 million in cryptocurrency was stolen in a cyberattack likely orchestrated by the North Korean Lazarus Group. The company suspended automatic transactions and began moving the systems to new infrastructure.

June 16, 2023

U.S. Prosecutors Arrested and Charged Russian National With Conspiring to Commit LockBit Ransomware Attacks!

The US Justice Department (DOJ) has announced the indictment of a Russian national, 20-year-old Chech-born Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov, for his involvement in multiple cyberattacks, including the deployment of LockBit ransomware. The attacks targeted computer systems in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Africa. Astamirov was presented to the court yesterday. LockBit is part of a class of hacking methods and technologies dubbed ransomware as a service (RaaS).

June 14, 2023

The $100 Million Atomic Wallet Crypto Heist And The Russian Crypto Exchange Garantex

Blockchain security and compliance firm Elliptic has provided an update on the $100 million stolen from Atomic Wallet, implicating the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking collective, as the likely perpetrators behind the attack. The group allegedly used the Russian-based crypto exchange Garantex, which is under U.S. sanctions, to launder the stolen assets. Lazarus evidently managed to find alternative ways to convert its assets into Bitcoin.

TikTok Takedown: America’s Digital Iron Curtain or Silicon Valley’s Secret Weapon?

The recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has sent shockwaves through the social media industry, upholding a law that could effectively ban TikTok in the U.S. The ruling cited national security concerns. This decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing tension between the U.S. government and Chinese-owned tech companies.

Truong My Lan: A Tycoon’s Fall from Grace and Vietnam’s $44 Billion Financial Scandal!

The dramatic downfall of Truong My Lan, one of Vietnam’s most prominent property magnates, has sent shockwaves through the country's financial and political systems. The 68-year-old former billionaire is at the center of one of the largest financial frauds in history, a scandal that has not only exposed vulnerabilities in Vietnam’s economy but has also highlighted the intricate relationship between business and politics in the country.

Cash Cow Crypto: U.S. CFTC Enforcement Sets Records in FY 2024 with $17.1 Billion in Monetary Relief!

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) achieved a landmark year in FY 2024, securing over $17.1 billion in monetary relief, including $2.6 billion in civil penalties and $14.5 billion in restitution. The agency’s groundbreaking actions spanned digital asset (crypto) markets, voluntary carbon credits, and major compliance cases, highlighting its leadership in safeguarding market integrity.

U.S. DOJ’s Whistleblower Pilot Program: 250+ Tips in Just Months!

Whistleblowers are the only effective way to fight financial crime. The U.S. DOJ whistleblower pilot program has already proven effective, generating over 250 tips of potential misconduct since its launch in August, according to Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller. According to a Reuters report, the initiative targets corporate malfeasance and encourages internal self-disclosure by companies.

Online Gambling: Lokinvestigation in Curaçao, its Maltese Connections, and How to Shut Down!

For many years, the far-far-away Curacao was the regulatory mecca of global online gambling. But that is over. The Lokinvestigation, spearheaded by opposition politician and forensic investigator Dr. Luigi Faneyte, reveals systemic failures and alleged corruption in Curaçao’s online gambling sector. With ties to Maltese investors and global financial networks, the report demands transparency but also carries political implications.