Latest news with #Nobitex
Economic Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Israel is not only bombing Iran, but hackers have also emptied Iran's largest exchange
Hackers, reportedly linked to Israel, have stolen approximately $81 million from Nobitex, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange. The group, Gonjeshke Darande, claimed responsibility, citing Iran's use of the platform to circumvent sanctions and fund terrorism. Nobitex has suspended operations and pledged to reimburse affected users, while the hackers threaten to leak sensitive data. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Hackers warning Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Hackers linked to Israel have stolen money from Iran's biggest crypto exchange called Nobitex. Nobitex announced on X, June 18 that someone got into part of its system without permission and took money from their "hot wallet." The hackers only took money from some hot wallets, not from the "cold storage," so most users' assets are still safe, according to the report by said it will pay back all the affected users using its insurance fund and company resources. Because of the hack, Nobitex's website and app are currently down. A hacker group called Gonjeshke Darande , also known as Predatory Sparrow, said they did the attack. This group is linked to Israel, as per hackers threatened to leak Nobitex's secret computer code and internal info within 24 hours. The hackers said they attacked Nobitex because Iran uses it to break sanctions and "finance terror." This same group had earlier hacked data from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bank called 'Bank Sepah', as stated by to reports, crypto expert ZachXBT wrote on Telegram that Nobitex lost about $81 million through suspicious transfers on Tron and Ethereum networks. The hacking group confirmed ZachXBT's $81 million theft claim in their next message. Iran uses cryptocurrency to fight Western economic sanctions that it calls 'terrorism.'Many Bitcoin traders like Iran because electricity is cheap, especially after China cracked down on has a lot of oil and gas but struggles to use global financial markets because of sanctions, as reported by $81 million was stolen, mostly from Ethereum and Tron wallets. (ZachXBT via Telegram)The group is called Gonjeshke Darande and is linked to Israel.
New York Post
5 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
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.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Israel is not only bombing Iran, but hackers have also emptied Iran's largest exchange
Hackers linked to Israel have stolen money from Iran's biggest crypto exchange called Nobitex. Nobitex announced on X, June 18 that someone got into part of its system without permission and took money from their "hot wallet." The hackers only took money from some hot wallets, not from the "cold storage," so most users' assets are still safe, according to the report by TheStreet. Nobitex said it will pay back all the affected users using its insurance fund and company resources. Because of the hack, Nobitex's website and app are currently down. A hacker group called Gonjeshke Darande , also known as Predatory Sparrow, said they did the attack. This group is linked to Israel, as per reports. Hackers warning The hackers threatened to leak Nobitex's secret computer code and internal info within 24 hours. The hackers said they attacked Nobitex because Iran uses it to break sanctions and "finance terror." This same group had earlier hacked data from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps bank called 'Bank Sepah', as stated by TheStreet. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 5 Dividend Stocks for May 2025 Seeking Alpha Read Now Undo According to reports, crypto expert ZachXBT wrote on Telegram that Nobitex lost about $81 million through suspicious transfers on Tron and Ethereum networks. The hacking group confirmed ZachXBT's $81 million theft claim in their next message. Iran uses cryptocurrency to fight Western economic sanctions that it calls 'terrorism.' Many Bitcoin traders like Iran because electricity is cheap, especially after China cracked down on has a lot of oil and gas but struggles to use global financial markets because of sanctions, as reported by TheStreet. Live Events FAQs Q1. How much money was stolen from Nobitex? Around $81 million was stolen, mostly from Ethereum and Tron wallets. (ZachXBT via Telegram) Q2. Who are the hackers behind the Nobitex attack? The group is called Gonjeshke Darande and is linked to Israel.
NDTV
7 hours ago
- Business
- NDTV
Iran Crypto Exchange Hit By Hackers, $90 Million Destroyed
An anti-Iranian hacking group with possible ties to Israel announced an attack on one of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchanges on Wednesday, destroying nearly $90 million and threatening to expose the platform's source code. A group known as Gonjeshke Darande, or "Predatory Sparrow," claimed the attack, making it the group's second operation in two days. On Tuesday the group claimed to have destroyed data at Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah amid the increasing hostilities and missile attacks between Israel and Iran. Wednesday's attack targeted Nobitex, one of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. The platform allegedly helps the Iranian government avoid sanctions and finance illicit operations around the world, the hackers claimed in a message posted to its social media channels early Wednesday. Nobitex's website was unavailable Wednesday. Messages sent to the company's support channel on Telegram were not returned. Gonjeshke Darande did not respond to requests for comment. Nobitex said in a post on X that it had pulled its website and app offline as it reviewed "unauthorized access" to its systems. Gonjeshke Darande is an established hacking group with a history of sophisticated cyberattacks targeting Iran. A 2021 operation claimed by the group caused widespread gas station outages, while a 2022 attack targeting an Iranian steel mill caused a large fire and tangible, offline damage. Israel has never formally acknowledged that it is behind the group, although Israeli media has widely reported Gonjeshke Darande as "Israel-linked." Wednesday's attack started in the early hours of the morning when funds were moved to hacker-controlled wallets denouncing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs, which pegged the total theft at about $90 million across multiple types of cryptocurrencies. The way the hacker-controlled wallets were created suggests the hackers would not be able to access the stolen money, meaning that the hackers "effectively burned the funds in order to send Nobitex a political message," blockchain analysis firm Elliptic said in a blog post. Elliptic's post shared evidence that Nobitex had sent and received funds to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by groups hostile to Israel, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Yemen's Houthis. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King had raised concerns about Nobitex's role in enabling Iranian sanctions evasion in a May 2024 letter to top Biden administration officials, citing Reuters' reporting from 2022. Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence with Chainalysis, confirmed in an email to Reuters that the value of the attack was roughly $90 million and that it was likely geopolitically motivated, given that the money was burned. Chainalysis has "previously seen IRGC-affiliated ransomware actors leveraging Nobitex to cash out proceeds, and other IRGC proxy groups leveraging the platform," Fierman said.
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Iran crypto exchange hit by hackers, over $100m destroyed
TEHRAN - An anti-Iranian hacking group with possible ties to Israel announced an attack on one of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchanges on June 18, destroying nearly US$90 million (S$115 million) and threatening to expose the platform's source code. A group known as Gonjeshke Darande, or 'Predatory Sparrow,' claimed the attack, making it the group's second operation in two days. On June 17, the group claimed to have destroyed data at Iran's state-owned Bank Sepah, amid the increasing hostilities and missile attacks between Israel and Iran. The June 18 attack targeted Nobitex, one of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. The platform allegedly helps the Iranian government avoid sanctions and finance illicit operations around the world, the hackers claimed in a message posted to its social media channels early on June 18. Nobitex's website was unavailable on June 18. Messages sent to the company's support channel on Telegram were not returned. The Gonjeshke Darande group did not respond to requests for comment. Nobitex said in a post on X that it had pulled its website and app offline as it reviewed 'unauthorised access' to its systems. Gonjeshke Darande is an established hacking group with a history of sophisticated cyberattacks targeting Iran. A 2021 operation claimed by the group caused widespread gas station outages, while a 2022 attack targeting an Iranian steel mill caused a large fire and tangible, offline damage. Israel has never formally acknowledged that it is behind the group, although Israeli media has widely reported Gonjeshke Darande as 'Israel-linked'. The June 18 attack started in the early hours of the morning when funds were moved to hacker-controlled wallets denouncing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to blockchain analysis firm TRM Labs, which pegged the total theft at about US$90 million across multiple types of cryptocurrencies. The way the hacker-controlled wallets were created suggests the hackers would not be able to access the stolen money, meaning that the hackers 'effectively burned the funds in order to send Nobitex a political message,' blockchain analysis firm Elliptic said in a blog post. Elliptic's post shared evidence that Nobitex had sent and received funds to cryptocurrency wallets controlled by groups hostile to Israel, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Yemen's Houthis. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Angus King had raised concerns about Nobitex's role in enabling Iranian sanctions evasion in a May 2024 letter to top Biden administration officials, citing Reuters' reporting from 2022. Mr Andrew Fierman, head of national security intelligence with Chainalysis, confirmed in an email to Reuters that the value of the attack was roughly US$90 million and that it was likely geopolitically motivated, given that the money was burned. Chainalysis has 'previously seen IRGC-affiliated ransomware actors leveraging Nobitex to cash out proceeds, and other IRGC proxy groups leveraging the platform,' Mr Fierman said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
