On September 14, crypto exchange Remitano faced an alarming situation with a suspicious withdrawal of approximately $2.7 million in cryptocurrencies, triggering concerns of a potential security breach.
Around 12:45 UTC, Cyvers, a blockchain analytics platform, alerted the crypto community about these potentially suspicious activities. They noted that a well-known Remitano hot wallet initiated transfers to an address without transaction history.
This transaction involved about $1.4 million in Tether (USDT), $208,000 in USD Coin (USDC), and 104,000 Ankr tokens (equivalent to $2,000 at the time).
In a swift response, Tether took action by freezing the address, effectively halting any further movement of the USDT and thereby safeguarding $1.4 million of the drained crypto.
Later, at approximately 3:21 UTC on September 15, PeckShieldAlert reported a continued concerning development.
Remitano exchange faced more suspicious transactions, resulting in over $2.7 million draining from its Ethereum and TRON blockchain wallets.
According to, PeckShieldAlert, Tether took decisive action by freezing two addresses linked to the attacker on Ethereum, BCH, and TRON. This move secured the entire $2.7 million worth of USDT.
PeckShieldAlert further disclosed that the individual operating on the Ethereum blockchain exchanged the stolen USDC and Ankr tokens for approximately 163 ETH, valued at around $264,000, and subsequently these funds to the HitBTC exchange.
Lazarus Group Suspected in Wave of Crypto Exchange Hacks, Leading to Over $200 Million in Stolen Funds in 2023
In 2023, a concerning trend of crypto exchange hacks emerged, resulting in the compromise of private keys and the theft of significant amounts of cryptocurrency.
U.S. authorities have attributed these attacks to the , a cybercrime organization believed to have affiliations with the North Korean government.
Among the notable incidents, on September 4, the Lazarus Group is suspected to have orchestrated a $41 million hack of the crypto gambling platform , as confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a statement released on September 7.
This group’s activities in 2023 have reportedly led to the theft of over $200 million worth of cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, on September 12, , a cryptocurrency exchange, experienced a suspected attack that followed a substantial outflow of funds from four of its hot wallets, resulting in losses exceeding $27 million.
The Lazarus Group has also been held responsible for other high-profile hacks, including those targeting Alphapo, CoinsPaid, and Atomic Wallet.
These attacks collectively account for over $200 million in stolen funds in 2023. , a payment processor, suffered suspicious withdrawals totaling over $65 million on July 23.
, another payment service provider, lost over $37 million due to social engineering attacks in late July.
Additionally, users of experienced losses of a staggering $100 million in June, attributed to an unknown exploit.