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Crypto exchange Huobi Global was hacked on Sept. 24 for $7.9 million, according to blockchain analytics. Meanwhile, a wallet associated with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin was flagged sending 400 ETH, worth around $600,000, to Coinbase, and Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has announced new measures to help the public identify fraudulent or unlicensed crypto exchanges.
Huobi Global, which recently rebranded to HTX, was hacked this weekend for $7.9 million, according to Cyvers Alerts.
The blockchain security firm reported on Sept. 25 that 4,999 Ether (ETH) was drained from a Huobi hot wallet. The attack was later confirmed by Huobi Global investor Justin Sun, who claimed that user funds are safe.
Red CodeYesterday, our ML-powered system detected a suspicious transaction involving @HuobiGlobal and @HTX_Global.
Despite our attempts to reach out, we received no response. An EOA received 5K $ETH $7.9M from @HuobiGlobal's hot wallet.This morning, we spotted… pic.twitter.com/3oqHhAVi8P
— Cyvers Alerts (@CyversAlerts) September 25, 2023
Huobi appears to have located the attacker and has requested the funds back. “We have confirmed your true identity. Please return funds to [the wallet address],” the exchange said, according to a Google translation. The exchange is offering the attacker a white hat bonus of 5% for returning the funds within seven days.
Hacks continue to give the crypto industry a black eye at a time when markets appear to have stabilized from a prolonged bear market. According to the FBI, the North Korea-affiliated Lazarus Group was behind the recent $41 million exploit of Stake, a crypto-oriented gambling site.
Huobi Global reportedly hacked for $7.9M
Vitalik wallet sends 400 ETH worth $600K to Coinbase
Blockchain sleuths have flagged several Ether transactions from a wallet associated with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin in September 2023, totaling over $3.9 million.
Separate blockchain monitoring profiles shared details of a 400 ETH transaction, worth an estimated $632,000, from Vitalik’s wallet to Coinbase on Sept. 25.
@VitalikButerin deposited 400 $ETH to #Coinbase at $1,579 ($632K) 2hrs ago.
Notably, Ethereum’s co-founder has deposited a total of 2,421 $ETH to multiple CEXs at 1,628 on average ($3.94M) via two addresses over the past 10 days.
More details: https://t.co/tiJwn0omkk… https://t.co/C3BqRmsUau pic.twitter.com/8v1jmadwaM
— Spot On Chain (@spotonchain) September 25, 2023
According to Spot On Chain, Buterin’s most recent transaction is the latest in a spate of ETH deposits to centralized exchanges over the past 10 days. The blockchain analytics platform estimates Buterin has deposited an estimated 2,421 ETH ($3.94 million) from Sept. 15 onwards.
The platform outlined deposits amounting to 321 ETH deposited to Kraken between Sept. 15 and Sept. 19. Buterin also reportedly deposited a total of 1,700 ETH to Bitstamp in several transactions on Sept. 17 and Sept. 20 and deposited 500 ETH to Paxos on Sept. 19.
Cointelegraph has independently verified several of these transactions using access to Nansen 2 beta’s wallet profiler. Blockchain data also highlights a transfer of 2,000 ETH ($4.9 million) to the address that has been carrying out these transactions from another wallet long associated with the Ethereum co-founder.
According to Spot On Chain, the source of the 2,000 ETH transaction is a “better-known address” (0xD04daa65144b97F147fbc9a9B45E741dF0A28fd7) belonging to Buterin than the middle address (0x5567A4bE2D5b77F5Fd870f99Ed9167Feab8831B1) that has been transferring funds to exchanges.
Cointelegraph previously reported a 600 ETH ($1 million) transaction from the vitalik.eth address on Aug. 21, which was also identified by on-chain monitoring platforms.
Hong Kong SFC vows new measures in wake of JPEX scandal
Hong Kong’s financial regulator, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has vowed to step up efforts to combat unregulated cryptocurrency trading platforms in its jurisdiction.
According to a Sept. 25 announcement, the SFC said it will be making a list of all virtual asset trading platforms (VATPs) available to better help members of the public identify potentially unregulated VATPs doing business in Hong Kong.
With the estimated fallout of the JPEX scandal topping $178 million, Hong Kong's financial regulator says it will issue a public list of suspicious crypto trading platforms to combat unregulated crypto activity. https://t.co/ido8bKThQL
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) September 25, 2023
The SFC said it will also keep a dedicated list of “suspicious VATPs” which will be featured in an easily accessible and prominent part of the regulators’ website.
The move follows the ongoing JPEX crypto exchange scandal which has been accused of promoting its services to Hong Kong residents despite not having applied for a license in the country.
It’s estimated to have a financial fallout of around $178 million. At the time of publication, local police have received more than 2,200 complaints from affected users of the exchange.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
