90 BTC stolen!

[jubalix]

In real life, without being specifically targeted, how common - realistically speaking - is it for bitcoin owners to end up with keyloggers and trojans and malware  specifically programmed to sniff out and steal bitcoin without the user going somewhere specific or downloading something specifically related TO btc in the first place - which would seem rather easy enough to root out.

Sincere questions and observation.

Don't have numbers, but I suspect machine take-over tools may now scan for Bitcoin wallets "just in case". Bitcoin for the first time, allows you to instantly transfer value in an irreversible way: over the Internet. Most online banking involves reversible transactions; and are not nearly as lucrative.

There is also the long-term possibility that trusted giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft may start installing key loggers for one reason or another (rogue employee, 3-4 letter agency request). The only way to guard against that is to keep the bulk of your funds off-line.

this.

I beleive there is a class of virus software that operates as follows

scan for wallet.dat
if found copy and send off. <hacking starts agianst weak passwords.

waits for the password to be entered.
keylogs and sends password.

it then re-encrypts you local wallet.

A small test amount may be sent.

This allows th hacket to potetinally let you keep filling your wallet with out you realising you have been hacked, unless you were lucky enought to twig the small amount gone.

Then the hacker can elect to clear the wallet, or wait for you to put more in.

It is in hackers interest not to clear the wallet immediately, as that would be obvious and you can't use it at all anymore to withdraw but may keep filling it.

[serenitys]

The question is how the hell would a hacker know I had any to begin with?


I realize there are viruses and whatnot but my question on it was how are people targeted. There is a small number of computer users who even know what bitcoin is...how is a keylogging wallet.dat virus going to know who and what to target - meaning how would the right people (bitcoin owners) get infected to begin with and what prevents 300 million non bitcoin users from being infected with no gain to the hacker, instead of a specific target?

It seems to me that a general all purpose destructive sort of virus is fine for random large distribution via social networks and email, etc. (not fine morally, but fine from the hacker's point of view investing time and energy into programming and releasing it at all) making it a numbers game, but there's a missing piece here between the hacker creating this and knowing where to send it to begin with. What's he scanning? Outer space, or the equivalent of the interwebs, kinda like SETI for bitcoin?

Wouldn't that require an enormous amount of processing effort for a small reward? It'd seem they could put their skills to better use and just do mining and get "free" bitcoin that way.

I guess I'm missing something because it just looks like too small and specific of a base to put out random effort, violating minimum effort/maximum gain when a specific targeted attack would make more sense, but to do so, said hacker has to have a channel somewhere that knows where to find said bitcoin users...outside of hacking an exchange.

Know what I mean?

[cozk]

You just lost 40 000$

COngrats

[acs267]

This reminds me of the end of 2013, I think, when people started to randomly get hacked. Good thing you only lost 90BTC. Numerous people lost all of their life savings.

[percocet]

Wow, that really sucks! I feel for you man, my condolences.

[testconpastas2]

the OP should use something like this, when it becomes open sourced.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=606238.0

[Crindon]

Your coins are pretty much gone. You could try tracking them, but to no avail. Better to count your losses, pick up the pieces and move on.

[nobbynobbynoob]

This reminds me of the end of 2013, I think, when people started to randomly get hacked. Good thing you only lost 90BTC. Numerous people lost all of their life savings.

Ah, only BTC90, no big deal then.

[Ron~Popeil]

Cold storage is the only truly safe option. Why in the world do people still not secure their coins after so much theft and fraud? 

[acs267]

This reminds me of the end of 2013, I think, when people started to randomly get hacked. Good thing you only lost 90BTC. Numerous people lost all of their life savings.

Ah, only BTC90, no big deal then.

I'm not being apathetic when I say that. Just saying it could've been worse.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Multiply your lost times nine and you'll be pretty close to what I had stolen from me by davout, staff on this forum, with his infamous InstaWallet "hack", and thanks to creative 'coin washing' the bitcoins now reside in one of his fat bitcoin wallets.

BTW, davout owns Bitcoin-Central, of which is backed by a bank, if you call Lemon Way a bank with having only one entity under their belt - an app. Three days prior to the "hack" Lemon Way asked via Twitter where he could get his hands on some bitcoins. Luckily, Paymium was only walking distance from their back door - literally!

That said, I'm on a crusade to fight for you, moreover, me, via exposing every motherfucker that enters this space that doesn't pass muster. I, personally, won't stop till I'm reunited with my 1,132 BTC that David Francois (François), et al. has stolen from me.

~Bruno Kucinskas

[Boris-The-Blade]

Use a cold wallet next time.

I imagine losing 90 BTC is enough to taint this poor guys thoughts about Bitcoin.
If you do stick with it. Do as others have said and use Cold Storage for large amounts and get Linux as apposed to Windows.

[Swordsoffreedom]

That hurts I am sorry to hear about your loss but those Bitcoins are gone
Cold Storage would have prevented it but you must have downloaded a keylogger that was able to send the Bitcoins somewhere else

[Ron~Popeil]

Multiply your lost times nine and you'll be pretty close to what I had stolen from me by davout, staff on this forum, with his infamous InstaWallet "hack", and thanks to creative 'coin washing' the bitcoins now reside in one of his fat bitcoin wallets.

BTW, davout owns Bitcoin-Central, of which is backed by a bank, if you call Lemon Way a bank with having only one entity under their belt - an app. Three days prior to the "hack" Lemon Way asked via Twitter where he could get his hands on some bitcoins. Luckily, Paymium was only walking distance from their back door - literally!

That said, I'm on a crusade to fight for you, moreover, me, via exposing every motherfucker that enters this space that doesn't pass muster. I, personally, won't stop till I'm reunited with my 1,132 BTC that David Francois (François), et al. has stolen from me.

~Bruno Kucinskas

That kind of loss might have me on a crusade as well. I hope you get it all back at some point.

[Ron~Popeil]

That hurts I am sorry to hear about your loss but those Bitcoins are gone
Cold Storage would have prevented it but you must have downloaded a keylogger that was able to send the Bitcoins somewhere else

Yeah I hate hearing these kinds of stories as well. There are a lot of bad actors in this new economy.

[Cryptopher]

This reminds me of the end of 2013, I think, when people started to randomly get hacked. Good thing you only lost 90BTC. Numerous people lost all of their life savings.

What makes you think that the 90 BTC isn't the vast majority of his wealth?

[Remember remember the 5th of November]

i followed the highest btc transits on blockchain,
31.9 btc when to 16PcMrZWvkLkQxLDotsSWaYgjVD9GoDspa
then they trans 31.9 btc to 1G5pbFtm7ap95wqe2JsZ9EqEA5YQR3GKiQ
16PcMrZWvkLkQxLDotsSWaYgjVD9GoDspa sends alot btc to 1G5pbFtm7ap95wqe2JsZ9EqEA5YQR3GKiQ
1G5pbFtm7ap95wqe2JsZ9EqEA5YQR3GKiQ then sends 100.5btc to "14S2wx2zzj7aJz4gpJSvAXSAvYr9vyNBYi " owned by known scammer here on the forums as  KRUNIAC https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=229612.0
then sends 100btc to 1BCjb4BMqLHPdHh1SbeoELQSUfa8NYcacu last stop
https://blockchain.info/tx/cc5ffebb7741a0f6ba77ceba6c6f8bb5a51107439742e421b64e5e982699719c

Interesting! Thank you very much!
You seem to be an expert on this. Then how can we communicate with KRUNIAC?

Gratefully,
Philip

If the btc were sent to a mixer or exchange, then the exchange could simply be moving them around. But if not, then the lead sounds solid.

However, it is also safe to assume that the thief is reading this thread right now, and by providing the information of where you think the coins are, and provided it's correct, he will know for sure if you are onto him or not.

Addendum: Looks like this thread is rather old, shame I didn't look at the date.

[cinnamon_carter]

i think your wallet was cloned , then they just made a new 'address' , sent the coins to themself & good luck from there.....

you can continue to trace them through the block chain

even if someone uses a coin mixing service read this paper for some information on how to trace them

http://www.scribd.com/doc/227369807/Bitcoin-Coinjoin-Not-Anonymous-v01

sorry this happened but with that amount of btc you really need high security precautions , which it appears most people in the thread before me posted

ps not sure if mentioned previously , i keep the swap file disabled always , among many other protections

[AdamWhite]

Could be an inside job. Have any "friends" used your computer that know you have bitcoin?

[twistyfy]

I need your help!

I have 2 bitcoin-qt wallets, and yestarday one single transaction happened to both of my wallets and my 90 some BTCs were transferred out of my wallets. I don't know what happened and if it's possible to recover. The blockchain information is as follows:

https://blockchain.info/tx/32d070a547e9d2cc2de4dc453cea27789bf33f1c983ffdc7f28ce3419e70c9d5

On my wallet client software, in the transaction record column, the "address" shows a n/a, and the summary shows a double direction arrow.

How can two wallets be made to transact at the same time with a single transaction? The two addresses are as follows:

1CLn42dHFuXAd7o9bgrsCRmfDvLavRoxTq
1H4esgi6KwhDtVXZXJ12AS7QEwdeQighn4


Is it possible to track down the thief and recover my lost?

Truly,
Philip
hsszzm@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Hate to hear that! But yeah pretty sure they're gone for good.