Gonjeshke Darande announced it has attacked Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex, threatening to release its source code and network information in 24 hours. The group accuses Nobitex of aiding the Iranian regime in bypassing sanctions. You can see their recent update from Nobitex Market on recent developments.
The attack on Nobitex by Gonjeshke Darande underscores rising security risks and creates urgency among users to secure their assets, with implications for regional cryptocurrency stability.
Iranian Crypto Exchange Faces $81 Million Asset Flight
Gonjeshke Darande, known for politically motivated cyber incidents, claims responsibility for a major breach at Nobitex, Iran’s top cryptocurrency exchange. The group accuses Nobitex of aiding the Iranian regime’s sanction evasion efforts. As a response, they threaten to release confidential data and encourage Nobitex users to withdraw their assets immediately to avoid risk.
Immediate impacts include substantial fund outflows totaling over $81 million, leading to significant losses in user liquidity for Nobitex. The public warnings from Gonjeshke Darande are echoed across various platforms, amplifying fears about the security of Iranian crypto exchanges amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
“Another large-scale exchange breach, and once again, the real victims are everyday users who entrusted their funds to the platform they believed was secure,” Navin Gupta, CEO of Crystal Blockchain, highlights concern.
Politically Driven Cyber Attacks Challenge Crypto Security
Did you know? In previous attacks, Gonjeshke Darande has utilized “burn” mechanisms in vanity addresses to render assets unrecoverable, marking a significant departure from profit-driven hacks toward politically motivated cyber protests.
According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin (BTC) is currently priced at $104,882.45 with a market cap of $2.08 trillion. It experienced a 0.26% increase over 24 hours despite a 4.50% decline across seven days. This volatility underscores how external geopolitical factors might influence crypto markets.
The Treasury Department press release on financial measures highlights the complexities of handling such incidents, as this event mirrors prior politically motivated cyber-attacks. The Coincu research team notes that this incident mirrors prior politically motivated cyber-attacks, emphasizing a trend where asset destruction aligns with protest motives rather than financial profit. The growing complexity of such hacks presents challenges for regulatory and technological responses within the cryptocurrency sphere.
