FBI reaches out to WazirX on alleged crypto heist by North Korean cybercriminals: Report

Stolen assets from WazirX included $102 million of Shiba Inu, $52.5 million in Ethereum, $11.24 million in Matic and more.

US intelligence agency Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reached out for information to Indian crypto platform WazirX to study the nature of a cyberattack allegedly involving North Korean hackers, The Economic Times has reported.

"Global law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, want to future-proof their own cryptocurrency market from any such shocks, and their expertise will greatly benefit the company’s efforts as well," a person close to WazirX told ET.

Moneycontrol couldn't independently verify the report.

WazirX on July 18 confirmed facing security breach and temporarily stopped INR and crypto withdrawals, following the suspicious transfer of assets worth $230 million from one of its multi-signature wallets.

According to third-party blockchain analytics tool, Lookonchain, the stolen assets from WazirX included $102 million of Shiba Inu, $52.5 million in Ethereum, $11.24 million in Matic, $7.6 million in Pepe coin, $135 million in Tether, and $3.5 million in Gala.

The company did not disclose who is behind the attack but its cofounder Nischal Shetty told ET: “We’re convinced it could be the (North Korea’s) Lazarus group.”

Allegedly backed by the North Korean government, Lazarus, is known for carrying out some of the largest crypto exchange attacks globally in the past, the report added.

Also Read | WazirX’s $230-mn hack will stall the crypto industry’s progress with regulators

WazirX on July 25 shared that none of its signers’ machines were compromised and the attack likely happened from infrastructure partner Liminal’s end.

Liminal is a wallet infrastructure and digital asset custody solution provider, which counts Zebpay, Pi42, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Himachal Pradesh (HP) Police as its customers among others.