Pro-Israel hackers steal $90M in massive Iranian crypto heist — but may have lost all of the loot for good: reports
A pro-Israel group of hackers on Wednesday drained more than $90 million from Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange – but may have lost all of the proceeds from the heist in the process, according to several crypto tracking firms.
Coins like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Doge were sniped from digital wallets on Iranian exchange Nobitex, which has been linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC is a branch of Iran's military that has been labeled a terrorist organization by the US, United Kingdom, European Union and Canada.
The stolen crypto was funneled to addresses with anti-Iran messages referencing the IRGC, mostly some variation of 'F—IRGCterrorists,' according to crypto tracking firm Elliptic.
Advertisement
Israel and Iran traded missile strikes for a sixth day on Wednesday.
AFP via Getty Images
It was transferred to wallets they cannot access – meaning the hackers effectively threw away the riches into cyberspace, according to Elliptic and crypto tracking firm TRM Labs.
'Predatory Sparrow would not have the private keys for the crypto addresses they sent the Nobitex funds to, and have effectively burned the funds in order to send Nobitex a political message,' Elliptic said in a press release.
Advertisement
The massive cyberattack, then, appears to be aimed at weakening Iran as it traded missile strikes with Israel for a sixth day on Wednesday.
Gonjeshke Darande, the pro-Israel hacking group known as Predatory Sparrow, took credit for the cyberattack and threatened to release the exchange's source code. It has not yet been conclusively linked to the attack, and the code has not been published.
Predatory Sparrow also claimed it carried out a separate cyberattack on state-owned Iranian Bank Sepah this week. It claimed IRGC members had used the bank's services.
Coins like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Doge were stolen from Nobitex.
REUTERS
Advertisement
Meanwhile, President Trump on Wednesday said his patience with Iran has 'already run out.' He refused to say whether he has made a decision on US military intervention in the Israel-Iran conflict.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier warned that any intervention from the US would result in 'irreparable damage.'
Past investigations from independent reporters have found ties from Nobitex to IRGC-linked ransomware operatives and individuals close to Khamenei.
Nobitex is Iran's main cryptocurrency exchange, and claims to have more than 7 million users.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
25 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Former Fox pundits get warm welcome as Trump appointees
Politics Former Fox pundits get warm welcome as Trump appointees June 18, 2025 | 8:57 PM GMT Over the last few months, Fox hosts and anchors have treated their former colleagues to a heaping of pleasantries and a few tricky questions.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oil falls as investors weigh chance of US intervention in Iran-Israel conflict
By Colleen Howe BEIJING (Reuters) -Oil prices slipped on Thursday as investors hesitated to take new positions after U.S. President Donald Trump gave mixed signals on the country's potential involvement in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Brent crude futures fell 37 cents, or 0.48%, to $76.33 a barrel by 0110 GMT after gaining 0.3% in the previous session marked by high volatility, with prices falling as much as 2.7%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July fell 28 cents, or 0.37% to $74.86 a barrel, after settling up 0.4% in the previous despite dropping by as much as 2.4%. The July contract expires on Friday and the more active August contract was down 21 cents, or 0.29%, to $73.29 a barrel. There is still a "healthy risk premium baked into the price as traders await to see whether the next stage of the Israel-Iran conflict is a U.S. strike or peace talks", Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG, said in a note. The former could lead prices to rise by $5 while peace talks could lead to a drop of around the same magnitude, Sycamore said. Trump on Wednesday told reporters that he may or may not decide for the U.S. to join Israel in its missile attacks on Iran. The conflict stretched into its seventh day on Thursday. Direct U.S. involvement would widen the conflict, putting energy infrastructure in the region at higher risk of attack, analysts say. Iran is OPEC's third-largest producer, extracting about 3.3 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil. But more crucially, about 19 million bpd of oil and oil products move through the key Strait of Hormuz waterway and there is widespread concern the fighting could disrupt trade flows there. The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady on Wednesday but pencilled in two rate cuts by the end of the year. Chair Jerome Powell however cautioned the rate cuts would be "data-dependent" and that more consumer inflation is expected from President Trump's planned import tariffs. Lower interest rates would stimulate the economy, and as a result demand for oil, but that could exacerbate inflation. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
32 minutes ago
- The Hill
Mulvaney warns of safety concerns over White House's new flagpoles
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney on Wednesday raised safety concerns about President Trump's newly installed flagpoles at the White House. In an interview on NewsNation's 'The Hill,' the former Trump official questioned how the president's helicopter would continue to land safely on the South Lawn, where a flagpole now stands. 'I see a problem for where they're supposed to land the helicopter — because this is right on the South Lawn, and I'm not really sure,' Mulvaney said in the interview when asked about the flagpoles. 'I imagine they considered this, they'd be landing someplace else, but I'm looking at this going, as the chief of staff, who's in charge of military operations at the White House, 'Where are we landing the helicopter without creating an increased risk for the president of the United States?' I don't know the answer to that yet,' he added. The Hill reached out to the White House for comment. Trump announced Tuesday he would be gifting the White House two flagpoles, one on the North Lawn and one on the South Lawn. Both were installed Wednesday morning. 'It is my Great Honor to announce that I will be putting up two beautiful Flag Poles on both sides of the White House, North and South Lawns. It is a GIFT from me of something which was always missing from this magnificent place,' Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday night. 'These are the most magnificent poles made – They are tall, tapered, rust proof, rope inside the pole, and of the highest quality. Hopefully, they will proudly stand at both sides of the White House for many years to come!' he added.
