Hackers Steal IDR 313 Billion Crypto From US Government Controlled Digital Wallets

Hackers have broken into US government-controlled crypto wallets. (Photo; Doc. Lathrinx)

JAKARTA - The crypto community was again shocked by suspicious activity involving a crypto wallet that was hacked by Bitfinex, which is now under US government control. The movement of millions of dollars worth of funds from the wallet is suspected to be part of a massive theft and money laundering attempt.

An in-depth analysis of blockchain security firm Arkham Intelligence revealed that about US$20 million in the form of various crypto assets has been gradually transferred to new wallets in recent times. The fund comes from a wallet that stores part of Bitfinex's 2016 hack, one of the biggest hacks in crypto history.

Cybercriminals who are suspected of being behind this activity show a clever pattern. They withdraw funds from various platforms, including crypto lending platform Aave, and then transfer them to a decentralized exchange that is known to be difficult to track. Hackers are trying to hide traces and disburse funds from their crimes.

In Arkham Intelligence's observations, hackers suspected of withdrawing funds of around 5.4 million US dollars (approximately Rp83.7 billion) from crypto lending platform Aave, then transferred them to a new address made just five days earlier. Shortly thereafter, they made a withdrawal of US$1.12 million (approximately Rp17.36 billion) in USDT. This withdrawal activity is the first time this has happened from the address in eight months.

The suspicious movement continued as the wallet began transferring tokens to other addresses with the prefix "0x348," which was previously linked to money laundering activities. Through Arkham's search, this activity further strengthens allegations of exploitation.

In addition, the suspect also moved around $446.000 in Ethereum (ETH) and US$13.7 million (approximately IDR 212.35 billion) in aUSDC, the USD Coin version that shares the flowers, which are stored in Aave.

This incident was also commented on by blockchain analyst ZachXBT. "The movement of funds to the instant market is a signature of cybercriminals," said ZachXBT. "They are trying to take advantage of the anonymity offered by this platform so it is not detected."

Although the US government managed to secure most of Bitcoin stolen from Bitfinex, the incident shows that cybercrime is still looming over the digital asset industry.