BitKeep Confirms Cyber Assault, Loses Over $9 Million in Digital Currencies

Dec 28, 2022Ravie LakshmananBlockchain / Android Malware

Decentralized multi-chain crypto pockets BitKeep on Wednesday confirmed a cyberattack that allowed risk actors to distribute fraudulent variations of its Android app with the objective of stealing customers’ digital currencies.

“With maliciously implanted code, the altered APK led to the leak of person’s non-public keys and enabled the hacker to maneuver funds,” BitKeep CEO Kevin Como said, describing it as a “large-scale hacking incident.”

In keeping with blockchain safety firm PeckShield and multi-chain blockchain explorer OKLink, an estimated $9.9 million value of belongings have been plundered to this point.

“Funds stolen are on BNB Chain, Ethereum, TRON and Polygon,” BitKeep additional noted in a sequence of tweets. “Greater than 200 addresses on the opposite three chains had been used within the heist, and all funds had been transferred to 2 primary addresses in the long run.”

The incident is claimed to have taken place on December 26, 2022, with the risk actor exploiting and hijacking model 7.2.9 of the Android app package deal (.APK) file hosted on its web site to distribute the trojanized variant.

That stated, the digital break-in would not affect BitKeep apps downloaded by way of Google Play, Apple App Retailer, or the Google Chrome Net Retailer.

As many as 5 totally different counterfeit variations of the Android app with the next package deal names have been recognized, suggesting that the apps had been probably distributed by way of phishing web sites. The legit package deal title is “com.bitkeep.wallet.”

• com.bitkeep.app
• com.bitkeep.w4
• com.bitkeep.w5
• com.bitkeep.wallet5
• io.bitkeep.pockets

The Singapore-headquartered firm, which was based in 2018, stated it has traced the pockets tackle used to hold out the theft and that a few of the siphoned digital belongings have been frozen.

Customers who’ve downloaded the APK file for model 7.2.9 are suggested to put in the newest model (7.3.0) launched in the present day and switch the funds to a newly generated pockets tackle.

This isn’t the primary time BitKeep has been breached. On October 18, 2022, it disclosed one other safety incident concentrating on its BitKeep Swap service that led to losses of about $1 million.