Bitcoin (BTC) Important Signal: Hackers Target $8 Billion Wallet of Defunct Exchange, Posing Potential Risk to Prices

Hackers are targeting the $8 billion Bitcoin wallet stolen from a defunct cryptocurrency exchange in Japan. Any abnormal transactions could impact the price movement of Bitcoin, raising concerns in the encryption community.

According to preliminary information from the exchange on the 8th, potential attackers sent a transaction to the address using the OP_RETURN function.

(Source: X)

OP_RETURN, although controversial in some user communities, is a method for storing information on the Bitcoin blockchain. In this case, the transaction sent to the Wallet contains text displaying the website address, seemingly to encourage the owner to visit the page.

The website address displays a notification: "This cryptocurrency wallet appears to be lost or abandoned. Our customer has legally owned it and is determining whether there is a legitimate owner."

The website claims to be a product of the now-defunct Wall Street investment bank Solomon Brothers.

The exchange warned on its X platform that "the website appears to be illegal" and is part of "an ongoing Bitcoin scam," noting that the website is capable of collecting personal information from wallet owners. Researchers also indicated that multiple addresses traceable to 2011 have become targets of the attacks.

This address is famous for receiving 79,956 BTC (currently valued at 8.7 billion USD) for the first time in 2011. These Bitcoins originated from a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange that was closed over ten years ago due to multiple cyber attacks.

With the participation of the first batch of BTC investors, criminals have stolen a total of 850,000 Bitcoins, currently valued at over 9.23 billion USD.

A recovery plan was approved in 2021, promising to compensate affected customers for about 90% of their debt assets.

The law enforcement agencies have only recovered 140,000 Bitcoins to repay creditors. Among the remaining Bitcoins, many are still idle in addresses currently locked by the fraudsters.