Iranian Crypto Exchange Nobitex Loses $81M in Hack

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When $81 Million Vanishes: The Great Crypto Caper! 💸😱

  • Nobitex hacked for $81M across Tron and EVM blockchains. 
  • Pro-Israel group Gonjeshke Darande claims responsibility. 
  • Vanity addresses are used to drain hot wallets undetected.

On a fateful day, June 18, 2025, the winds of misfortune blew through Iran, carrying with them the stench of lost fortunes. Nobitex, the crown jewel of the Iranian cryptocurrency scene, found itself stripped of over $81 million, a sum that could make even the most stoic of men weep. This wasn’t just any hack; it was a multi-blockchain heist, a grand opera performed on the stages of Tron and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) blockchains. The curtain was raised by none other than blockchain sleuth ZachXBT, who caught wind of suspicious withdrawals that danced away from wallets bearing the Nobitex name.

Ah, but the plot thickens! The hackers, with a flair for the dramatic, employed custom vanity addresses—oh, the audacity!—like TKFuckiRGCTerroristsNoBiTEXy2r7mNX and 0xffFFfFFffFFffFfFffFFfFfFfFFFFfFfFFFFDead. One can only imagine the chuckles shared among the perpetrators as they drained the wallets, their addresses dripping with political sarcasm. In the wake of this revelation, Nobitex, caught with its proverbial pants down, hit the brakes on all operations, scrambling to figure out how to put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Pro-Israel Group Claims Responsibility

Enter stage left: the pro-Israeli hacking group Gonjeshke Darande, proudly waving their flag of chaos. They took credit for the debacle, claiming Nobitex was a financial lifeline for terrorists and a sneaky way to dodge sanctions. With a flourish, they announced their intention to publish the source code of the exchange and other juicy tidbits within 24 hours, urging users to grab their remaining funds and run for the hills. This wasn’t their first rodeo; they had previously taken a swing at Bank Sepah, suggesting that the Iranian infrastructure was ripe for the picking.

Despite the chaos, Nobitex stood firm, denying the political accusations like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They assured the world that their cold wallet funds were safe and sound, promising to compensate losses with their insurance fund and internal resources. Meanwhile, their mobile apps and website were as useful as a chocolate teapot, down for maintenance while they conducted a security check.

Security Flaws and Industry Implications

The breach laid bare the gaping holes in Nobitex’s security, revealing that attackers could waltz in and loot hot wallets without so much as a whisper of alarm. Industry experts, with their crystal balls, noted that this incident highlighted the perils of centralized exchanges, especially in regions where regulatory oversight is as scarce as hen’s teeth. The attack was part of a growing trend of wallet breaches and social engineering scams, overshadowing the traditional protocol-based hacks of yesteryear.

Being a part of the Iranian crypto ecosystem, Nobitex was a high-profile target, especially since digital currencies could be used to sidestep international sanctions. The hack raised eyebrows and doubts about the safety of other exchanges operating in the same murky waters. Users were left in limbo, their trading and withdrawals suspended, with no clear end in sight. It was a classic case of “what could go wrong, did go wrong,” leaving everyone wondering if they’d ever see their funds again.

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2025-06-18 21:54