The Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid was on Friday seeking to recover nearly $ 100 million in stolen assets, during the second major heist of this type committed by hackers in recent days.
The Tokyo-based company said in a statement Thursday that it had "
detected unauthorized access to some of the cryptocurrency wallets managed by Liquid
."
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According to Elliptic, a London-based firm that helps track down stolen cryptocurrency, "
just over $ 97 million in cryptocurrency was received in accounts identified by Liquid as belonging to the thief
."
“
Our investigators are helping Liquid track stolen funds
,” Elliptic added in a blog post.
The attack comes after a hacker last week stole $ 600 million in cryptocurrency from decentralized finance platform Poly Network, before gradually returning the money, claiming he carried out the theft to highlight a loophole. of security.
Blockchain-based security
Liquid said it has suspended cryptocurrency withdrawals while it assesses the impact of the attack.
However, discussions continue during this time.
The popularity of cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed in recent years, despite their volatility and concerns about their environmental impact.
Bitcoin, ethereum, and other digital currencies use a technology called blockchain, which ensures that every transaction is recorded.
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Thieves who attempt to steal cryptocurrency typically move funds across many accounts at breakneck speed - sometimes with hundreds of thousands of transactions - in an attempt to cover their tracks. However, industry players have improved their ability to identify and block stolen cryptocurrencies. Liquid thus indicated that a sum in ethereum, equivalent to $ 16.3 million, had already been frozen "
thanks to the help of the cryptographic community and other exchanges
".
