Cryptohack Roundup: $387M Bitget Hack | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #hacker

Crypto exchange Bitget said an attacker transferred about $387.5 million from some of its online wallets after breaking into a key part of its wallet system.

The attacker manipulated transaction information and triggered Bitget’s approval process to move the funds, CEO Gracy Chen said. The company said the attacker did not gain access to private keys, which act like passwords controlling cryptocurrency. Its offline wallets, which store funds away from internet-connected systems, were also unaffected.

Bitget suspended withdrawals after detecting the transfers on Sept. 24.

The stolen assets included ether and several other cryptocurrencies. Bitget said its protection fund, currently worth more than $464 million, covers the loss.

Security firms Mandiant and SlowMist are helping investigate the attack. Bitget said it is still investigating how the attacker entered its system.

Security researchers uncovered a campaign that used famous investor names to make malicious browser extensions appear trustworthy.

LayerX, now part of Akamai, identified 30 extensions beginning in March, including tools posing as productivity, privacy and digital-asset services. Publishers appropriated names such as Warren Buffett, John Paulson and Andy Krieger.

The researchers linked 21 seemingly unrelated extensions to a common framework through similar code, websites and infrastructure. Some extensions redirected users to fake digital-wallet pages that stole recovery phrases, the secret words used to regain access to a wallet.

The extensions checked browser language, screen settings and signs of automated testing before acting. This allowed them to behave harmlessly during some security checks while targeting selected users. Researchers also found signs that artificial intelligence coding tools may have helped create the extensions.

A Brooklyn man was sentenced to four to 12 years in prison for running a phishing scheme that stole nearly $16 million from about 100 Coinbase users across the United States.

Ronald Spektor pleaded guilty to charges including money laundering, grand larceny and possession of stolen property. Prosecutors said he impersonated a Coinbase representative and warned users that hackers threatened their funds. He persuaded victims to transfer cryptocurrency to wallets that he could access.

Spektor then moved the stolen funds through several cryptocurrency exchanges to hide their origin before converting or spending them. Some victims lost at least $1 million.

Investigators connected Spektor to the thefts using transaction records, blockchain analysis and digital evidence, including his home internet address.

A judge also ordered Spektor to pay nearly $16 million to victims and give up more than $500,000 in cash, cryptocurrency and personal property.

U.S. federal prosecutors charged a Vietnamese national with money laundering over his alleged role in a scam that cost one victim about $16 million in cryptocurrency.

The victim transferred the funds during the summer of 2024 after believing they were investing through a cryptocurrency platform called Triangle, prosecutors said. Trung Nguyen Van, 37, allegedly moved the money into private digital wallets soon after receiving it.

The case involved a romance scam, in which fraudsters build trust with people online before persuading them to put money into fake investments.

Prosecutors said there may be additional victims in the U.S. who lost millions of dollars. Those victims described similar schemes in which someone they met online directed them to websites promising high investment returns.

Authorities said wallets linked to those victims later sent funds to Van’s cryptocurrency wallet.

An attacker stole 305 digital collectibles after exploiting a flaw in a payment system previously used by Magic Eden. The disclosure did not specify the value of the stolen assets.

The flaw also exposed more than 23,000 other digital collectibles worth over $5.7 million to possible theft. A security operation moved those assets before attackers could take them.

Magic Eden stopped using the affected payment system in October 2024 and later closed the marketplace that relied on it. The company said no active listings were affected.

Another 660 Wrapped ether, a digital token tied to ether’s value, was also exposed through a related flaw. The report said the security team could not recover those funds but did not clearly state how much was ultimately stolen.