Mercado Bitcoin offline more than 24 hours after $36.3m diverted
Mercado Bitcoin's platform remained offline more than 24 hours after a hack diverted more than $36.3m from the Brazilian crypto exchange, with blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis putting the figure higher, at $49m.
The exchange said client assets are guaranteed and will not be affected, and that it managed to block $12.9m of the compromised amount. Stablecoin issuer Tether froze close to $3.7m in stablecoins linked to the addresses under investigation, preventing further transfers of the funds, according to Token Times.
Mercado Bitcoin has given no date for restoring client access. It said only that it intends to "restabelecer os serviços gradualmente" as each function passes the necessary security checks. "Isso pode significar que algumas operações voltem antes de outras. Vamos comunicar cada etapa com antecedência, explicando quais serviços estarão disponíveis e eventuais limitações. Sabemos da importância de liberar o acesso o quanto antes. Estamos trabalhando para que isso aconteça o mais rápido possível", the exchange said.
The company said it identified and contained a security incident in one of its systems and suspended deposits and withdrawals as a preventive measure, adding that teams are investigating, tracing the assets and coordinating with the competent authorities. Initial estimates put the loss at $40m.
The timing has unsettled crypto investors: the attack came four days after Binance, the world's largest exchange, was hit in what is reported as the biggest hack in the industry's history, with $6.3bn diverted. The FBI and blockchain analytics firms attributed that theft to a hacking group linked to the government of North Korea, a claim Kim Jong-Un's sister has denied. Binance had led exchanges in net inflows over 24 hours, reversing heavy outflows on Monday.
