Skip to main content

MyAlgo users urged to withdraw as cause of $9.2M hack remains unknown

The Algorand wallet provider said it still hasn't determined the cause of the attack, urging users to withdraw funds from wallets created with a seed phrase.

A Wallet provider for the Algorand (ALGO) network, MyAlgo, has warned its users to withdraw funds from any wallets created with a seed phrase amid an ongoing exploit that has seen an estimated $9.2 million worth of funds stolen.

MyAlgo tweeted the advice on Feb. 27 adding it still doesn’t know the cause of the recent wallet hacks and encouraged “everyone to take precautionary measures to protect their assets.”

Earlier on Feb. 27 the team tweeted a warning of a “targeted attack [...] carried out against a group of high-profile MyAlgo accounts” which has seemingly been conducted over the past week.

The self-titled “on-chain sleuth,” ZachXBT, outlined in a Feb. 27 tweet that it’s suspected the exploit has pilfered over $9.2 million and crypto exchange ChangeNOW was able to freeze around $1.5 million worth of funds.

Particularly susceptible to the exploit were users who had mnemonic wallets with the key stored in an internet browser according to MyAlgo. A mnemonic wallet typically uses between 12 and 24 words to generate a private key.

John Wood, chief technology officer at the networks governance body the Algorand Foundation, took to Twitter on Feb. 27, saying around 25 accounts were affected by the exploit.

He added the exploit “is not the result of an underlying issue with the Algorand protocol” or its software development kit.

Related: $700,000 drained from BNB Chain-based DeFi protocol LaunchZone

Algorand-focused developer collective D13.co released a report on Feb. 27 that eliminated multiple possible exploit vectors such as malware or operating system vulnerabilities.

The report determined the “most probable” scenarios were that the affected users’ seed phrases were compromised through socially engineered phishing attacks or MyAlgo’s website was compromised that lead to the “targeted exfiltration of unencrypted private keys.”

MyAlgo stated it would continue to work with authorities and would conduct a “thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the attack.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FTX Wallet Drainer Relentless: Bridges Another 5,624 ETH to BTC

CertiK Alert posted on October 4 that the FTX drainer bridged another 5,624 ETH to BTC. That follows a series of notifications of multiple activities by the hacker, recently. The latest amount adds to over 30,000 ETH already bridged by the FTX wallet drainer. CertiK Alert, a platform that provides real-time alerts about crypto hacks, posted on October 4 that the FTX drainer bridged another 5,624 ETH to BTC. That follows a series of notifications about the recent resurfacing of the hacker who stole a significant amount of funds from the defunct FTX exchange. #CertiKSkynetAlert The FTX drainer has bridged another 5,624 ETH to BTC Receiving wallets: Bc1q8…m7zcy Bc1qs…fyhdy Bc1q7…3tg27https://t.co/4J3l9hyvjX — CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) October 4, 2023 The recent alert comes after CertiK Alert had posted about the hacker bridging up to 30,000 ETH to BTC as of October 2, 2023. Over the weekend, the crypto industry observed renewed activity on the w...
Read more

Here’s how to prevent NFT theft, according to industry professionals

Image
Professionals working in the Web3 space highlighted various tools and best practices to protect NFTs from hackers and scammers. As nonfungible tokens (NFTs) attract more users, they also capture the eyes of scammers. Bad actors in Web3 have set their sights on digital collectibles, with millions being lost through scams and various attacks.  However, according to professionals working in the Web3 space, there are multiple ways and tools to prevent being a victim of NFT theft . In addition, users can also take various actions after losing their digital collectibles to hacks. Ronghui Gu, the co-founder and CEO of blockchain Security firm CertiK, told Cointelegraph that the first and most important step is always due diligence. “Avoid clicking on suspicious links and be very careful when signing token approvals,” Gu shared. Taking it a step further, the executive shared other best practices like periodically checking and revoking unneeded permissions and segregating NFTs into differen...
Read more

Sell the rumors… Buy hack announcements? Unibot retrospective

In the aftermath of a significant security breach affecting Unibot (UNIBOT), an unexpected twist in market psychology surfaced. A leading analyst on prominent crypto analytics platform Santiment dissected the curious case of Unibot price action following a hack, challenging the old adage of “sell the rumor , buy the news.” He wrote: Panic creeps in, you start getting doubts (especially having experience multiple blowups of projects before), maybe it’s just better to sell and wait it out? Looks like many UNIBOT holders felt those kind of feelings in the recent days. On Oct. 31st, a capitulation event was observed for Unibot as long-standing coins changed hands in response to panic stemming from a cryptic tweet by the coin’s developers. The subsequent sell-off resulted in the largest transaction volume spike for Unibot, accompanied by a noticeable increase in active addresses — a movement tracked closely by Santiment’s tools. If you read any UNIBOT-rel...
Read more