Cryptocurrency exchange BingX suffered a hack that resulted in the loss of $43 million worth of various crypto assets, including thousands of ether (ETH), BNB, and millions of MATIC tokens, among others. Cybersecurity firm PeckShield was the first to report on this attack, highlighting that the majority of the funds stolen were extracted from the Ethereum and BNB Chain networks.
According to data provided by PeckShield, the hacker responsible for the attack has already exchanged most of the stolen assets, converting them into 4,526 ETH and 7,864.7 BNB. This incident has once again highlighted the vulnerability of centralized exchanges. BingX, for its part, announced that it will assume all losses arising from this hack, assuring that it will not affect the platform's users. According to reports, on September 20, the exchange team detected an atypical access to the platform's active walleta, leading to suspicions of a hacker incursion. “So far, we have only had minor losses and have covered it. Most of the assets are safe in cold wallets, and only a small portion was affected in the hot wallet,” the exchange notified.
#PeckShieldAlert Another $16.5M worth of cryptos has been drained from #BingX by 0x940362B46faf7DF48Af1c8989d809F50466B5fCA about 7 hours ago.
The stolen funds are currently parked at 0x1Dd7dAf089C16856155FeFd7e2170966bb6b3AEE, totaling 5.3K $ETH4.1K $BNB & 1.65M $MATIC.
We…— PeckShieldAlert (@PeckShieldAlert) September 20, 2024
To protect users’ funds, BingX has extended deposit and withdrawal times, while also strengthening security measures. In the latest update, they reported that withdrawal services are available again. “Your funds are safe and our team continues to strengthen security measures for the future,” the company added.
USDC, USDT and WLD among the stolen cryptocurrencies
Among the stolen cryptocurrencies, BingX detailed that they include 32,595 USD Coin (USDC), 1.7 million USD Tether (USDT), and 46,500 Worldcoin (WLD), among others. This hack not only represents a significant financial loss for BingX, but also underscores the need to improve security measures across all exchange platforms. This hack of BingX, with a total loss amount of 43 million USD, is one of the most significant in the sector in recent timesreminding everyone involved in the cryptocurrency market of the importance of security and proper management of digital funds. Colombian analyst Juan Rodriguez commented on the incident that this situation is a clear reminder that the security of funds on exchanges “depends on them.” Rodriguez emphasizes the importance of self-custody, a fundamental principle in the world of cryptocurrencies, especially promoted by the Bitcoin community with the premise “they are not your keys, they are not your coins.”