DMM Bitcoin, a licensed cryptocurrency exchange in Japan, has reported that its official wallet was illegally accessed on March 31st, resulting in the unauthorized transfer of 4,502.9 BTC, with a value of approximately 48.2 billion Japanese yen (311 million US dollars).
According to an official statement, the exchange has taken measures to address the abnormal outflow of funds. However, in order to further ensure the security of funds, DMM Bitcoin has imposed restrictions on certain services. The article emphasizes that the bitcoins held by users within the exchange will not be affected, as the exchange will provide full protection by allocating the corresponding amount of BTC through internal support.
In response to the incident, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has requested DMM Bitcoin to investigate the cause of the theft and submit a compensation policy for affected customers.
Meanwhile, Chainalysis, a blockchain analysis company, revealed on the social platform X that the amount lost in the hacking attack on DMM Bitcoin is the seventh largest in the history of cryptocurrency hacks. It is also the largest attack since December 2022. Data from TRM Labs, a cryptocurrency forensics company, shows that the stolen funds have been dispersed to 10 different wallet addresses.
This incident marks the third-largest cryptocurrency theft in Japan, following the “Mt. Gox incident” in 2014 and the Coincheck incident in 2018, which resulted in the theft of cryptocurrency assets worth 450 million and 534 million US dollars, respectively.
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