Iranian Crypto Exchange Nobitex Hacked for $90M by Suspected Israeli Group
Iranian crypto exchange Nobitex suffered a significant hack, losing approximately $90 million in cryptocurrency. The attack was claimed by Gonjeshke Darande, a hacking group with alleged links to Israeli intelligence. This follows a similar attack on Iran’s Bank Sepah earlier in the week.
The hackers, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), declared that Nobitex’s internal data and source code would be publicly released, further threatening users with complete asset loss if funds remain on the exchange. Blockchain security firm Elliptic confirmed the hack, initially reporting $81.7 million in stolen funds across various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Tron’s TRX. Later updates raised the estimate to over $82 million. The stolen funds were transferred to wallets with provocative vanity addresses, such as “TKFuckiRGCTerroristsNoBiTEXy2r7mNX,” clearly indicating a politically motivated attack.
Interestingly, Elliptic suggests the hack wasn’t financially driven. The use of extraordinarily long vanity addresses, generated through computationally intensive brute-force methods, implies the hackers likely lack the private keys to access the stolen funds. This suggests the primary goal was to inflict maximum damage on Nobitex, a leading Iranian exchange, and to send a strong political message. The hackers accused Nobitex of aiding Iran in circumventing international sanctions through crypto transactions.
Nobitex, in a brief statement on X, acknowledged the attack but avoided mentioning the extent of the financial losses. The incident highlights the growing tensions between Iran and Israel, which have manifested in a series of escalating cyber and physical attacks. Gonjeshke Darande has previously taken credit for attacks targeting Iranian infrastructure. This hack presents a major credibility crisis for Nobitex, potentially leading to further financial losses and significant reputational damage. Users are urged to withdraw remaining funds immediately to avoid further losses. The exact method of the hack remains undisclosed.
