Following a significant exploit that resulted in the loss of nearly half its assets, India-based centralized exchange WazirX is actively seeking partnerships to restore full operations. In a social media post on July 23, the exchange’s co-founder, Nischal Shetty, shared the development and informed users that the team is working on a solution to help restart its services. Shetty mentioned reaching out to various potential partners in order to figure out a resolution that would benefit their customers. The focus is on enabling platform deposits, withdrawals, and trading activities once again.
WazirX confirmed a security breach in one of its multisig wallets, which led to the loss of over $230 million in user assets. The stolen funds included a wide range of cryptocurrencies, such as SHIB tokens, Ethereum tokens, Matic tokens, Pepe tokens, USDT, and Gala tokens. These assets represent approximately 50% of WazirX’s total $500 million holdings, as per their June proof-of-reserves report. The exchange had to temporarily halt trading due to the impact of the hack on its ability to maintain 1:1 collaterals with assets.
Despite the setback, Shetty mentioned ongoing efforts to make customers whole. The team is brainstorming various ideas and collaborating to explore feasible solutions. Shetty emphasized the active collaboration with law enforcement to identify the culprits and recover the stolen funds. He clarified that the hack did not affect the firm’s fiat INR funds but did not provide details on the status of INR withdrawals.
In an attempt to encourage the hackers to return the stolen funds, WazirX has launched a $23 million bounty program. The firm has already received 133 entries and is in the process of reviewing them. However, market observers remain skeptical about the chances of the funds being returned, citing the alleged affiliation of the attackers with North Korea’s Lazarus Group. WazirX has consistently maintained that the hack took place outside its product infrastructure.
The exchange pointed out that the hacked multisig wallet was hosted by a third-party custody provider, Liminal. While Liminal argued that its infrastructure was not compromised, it attributed the exploit to compromised devices owned by WazirX. Shetty refuted suggestions regarding compromised wallet hardware and explained the multifaceted security measures that were supposedly in place during the hack.
Overall, the aftermath of WazirX’s security breach underscores the challenges faced by centralized exchanges in safeguarding user assets. The pursuit of solutions and partnerships reflects the commitment to restoring trust and confidence among users. As the investigation continues and recovery efforts persist, the industry will closely monitor developments to ascertain the long-term implications for security practices in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
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