EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
EMERGING TECH
EtherDelta is the latest cryptocurrency exchange to be hacked
A popular cryptocurrency exchange has had its webpage hijacked and customer funds stolen in the latest case of hacking in the booming market.
The hack of EtherDelta, an exchange offering trading in Ethereum and a number of other currencies, involved the hacker successfully gaining access to the company’s domain name server then subsequently redirecting customers to a fake website they had setup. That website, which mimicked the actual EtherDelta site, saw customers submit funds for trading to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the hacker.
The timeline of the attack, spelled out on EtherDelta’s Twitter account, started with a warning published at 3:34 p.m. EST Wednesday. The company warned that it had reason to believe malicious attackers temporarily gained access to the site’s domain name system server. “We are investigating this issue right now – in the meantime please DO NOT use the current site,” the warning read.
Subsequent updates included warnings such as “the imposer’s app has no CHAT button on the navigation bar nor the official Twitter Feed on the bottom right. It is also populated with a fake order book.”
The site was in the process of being restored at 9:57 a.m. this morning and later notices said the use of MetaMask and a hardware wallet were not affected. MetaMask operates as a browser plugin that allows users to connect directly to the Ethereum network without running a full node and, notably, also protects users from malicious pages such as those Google Chrome would block as risky. As of 9:30 p.m., the plugin continues to block users from visiting the EtherDelta webpage.
According to reports, those behind the successful hack have stolen at least 308 ETH ($228,000).
EtherDelta follows the case of South Korean bitcoin exchange Youbit, which announced on Monday that it’s filing for bankruptcy after being hacked. Other recent cryptocurrency hacks include Nicehash on Dec. 6 and Tether in November as cryptocurrencies continue to hit record highs.
Images: frenchoudini/Reddit/screenshot
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