It’s official. Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck was hacked in what is believed to be the largest exchange theft ever carried out. This story is continually developing, but here’s what we know so far.
This Was the Largest Cryptocurrency Exchange Hack in HistoryIn a press conference, Coincheck executives confirmed that the hackers absconded with more than 500 million NEM, worth approximately $530 million at the time of the hack, although Nikkei Veritas tweeted from the conference that the exact amount of funds stolen will not be known until officials conduct a detailed investigation.
The Coincheck hack supplanted Mt. Gox as the biggest cryptocurrency exchange hack in history. The Mt. Gox thief made off with approximately 850,000 bitcoins, worth roughly $450 million at the time.
Granted, the Mt. Gox hack was larger as a percentage of the total cryptocurrency market cap at the time of the theft, but in pure fiscal terms Coincheck now holds the infamous distinction of having been victim to the biggest cryptocurrency exchange hack in history.
As of the time of writing, the hacker had moved 300,000 XEM tokens to another address, and both addresses had been flagged with a mosaic warning other exchanges to not accept the funds.
Read more: https://www.ccn.com/biggest-theft-history-know-far-530-million-coincheck-hack/