Altcoin
Will Investors Get Their Money Back?
WazirX Hack Update: On Thursday, July 18, 2024, the Indian crypto exchange WazirX experienced a devastating security breach. The attack resulted in the loss of over $230 million worth of crypto assets. Hence, the users of the crypto exchange have been concerned about their holdings and whether CEX will be able to recover the stolen funds.
WazirX Hack: What Exactly Happened?
WazirX announced via their social media platform X that one of their multisig wallets had been compromised. This wallet was secured using Liminal’s digital asset custody and wallet infrastructure, and it had been in operation since February 2023. The wallet required multiple signatories for transaction approval—three from WazirX and one from Liminal.
However, despite these security measures, the attackers exploited a discrepancy between the data displayed on Liminal’s interface and the actual transaction contents. This allowed the attackers to replace the transaction payload, thereby gaining control over the wallet.
The breach specifically targeted WazirX’s Ethereum multisig wallet, affecting both Ethereum (ETH) and ERC-20 tokens. The attackers managed to steal 15,298 ETH directly. The exploiter subsequently swapped other assets such as Shiba Inu (SHIB), Polygon (MATIC), and Pepe Coin (PEPE) tokens, amassing a total of 59,097 ETH, valued at $218 million at press time.
WazirX Provides Update On Hack & Takes Immediate Action
In response to the breach, WazirX swiftly paused INR and crypto withdrawals to protect remaining assets. Furthermore, they filed a police complaint and reported the incident to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and CERT-In, India’s nodal agency for responding to cyber incidents. In addition, WazirX also reached out to over 500 exchanges to block the identified addresses involved in the theft.
Moreover, many exchanges reportedly are cooperating with the investigation. WazirX’s preliminary findings and ongoing investigations point to a sophisticated cyber attack that exploited the interface and transaction verification process managed by Liminal.
Both WazirX and Liminal have engaged in a blame game, each accusing the other of lapses in security. Liminal maintains that their infrastructure was not compromised. Additionally, they accused that the breach occurred due to vulnerabilities on the exchange’s side.
Also Read: Just In: Liminal Claims No Responsibility in $230M WazirX Wallet Hack
The Recovery Efforts By WazirX
The path to recovery for the stolen funds is fraught with challenges. On-chain analytics firm Spot on Chain reported that the hacker’s Ethereum holdings have significantly increased following the liquidation of stolen assets. Notably, the hacker has used Tornado Cash, a mixing service, to obscure the origin and destination of funds. This complicates efforts to trace and recover the assets.
In another update on the hack, WazirX has stated that they are working with forensic experts and law enforcement agencies. They aim to track the stolen funds and identify the perpetrators. They have also received support from the crypto community. Hence, multiple individuals and entities offering assistance in the fund recovery process.
Despite these efforts, the nature of the cyber attack and the use of mixing services like Tornado Cash make the recovery of stolen assets a daunting task. However, the majority of the stolen funds, converted to Ethereum, still reside in the hacker’s wallet.
The embargo on these wallets by different crypto exchanges could have led to the funds remaining stagnant. This rightly offers some hope of successful recovery of funds. Nevertheless, if the WazirX hacker manages to transfer the ETH funds to Tornado Cash, chances of a recovery may become slim.
Adding another layer of complexity to the situation, the notorious North Korean hacker group Lazarus is suspected of being behind the WazirX exploit. This group has been linked to numerous high-profile cyber attacks targeting crypto exchanges and financial institutions worldwide. If Lazarus is indeed involved, it underscores the sophisticated and international nature of the threat. This could further complicate the recovery efforts.
Here’s What WazirX Investors Need To Know
For WazirX investors, the immediate concern is whether they will get their money back. Here are the key factors that will influence the outcome:
1. Tracing & Recovery Efforts:
The success of forensic investigations and collaborations with law enforcement and other exchanges will be critical. Identifying the flow of funds and freezing or recovering assets requires advanced cyber forensic techniques and international cooperation. Since, WazirX’s update on hack indicates an active participation of the forensic team, there is a high chance investors might be able to get back their money.
2. Community Support:
The involvement of the entire crypto community, including exchanges and blockchain analytics firms, can significantly enhance the chances of tracing and recovering the stolen assets. Moreover, the Indian exchange has contacted over 500 CEXs for cooperation, which could expedite recovery.
3. Legal Actions:
The outcome of legal actions taken by WazirX, including their police complaint and reports to regulatory bodies, will also play a crucial role. These actions can help in apprehending the perpetrators and potentially recovering some of the stolen funds.
4. Compensation Plans:
In the event that the stolen funds cannot be fully recovered, WazirX may need to come up with compensation plans for affected investors. This could involve leveraging insurance policies, setting up a recovery fund, or other ways to mitigate the impact on investors.
5. Use of Tornado Cash:
The notorious crypto mixer has been used by WazirX exploiters. Hence, if they are successful in transferring the stolen crypto assets to Tornado Cash, a recovery might be next to impossible. Thus, the exchange needs to freeze the exploiter wallets and recover the funds before such a mishap occurs.
6. Not An Inside Job:
Nischal Shetty, founder of WazirX, refuted claims of an insider being involved in the hack. If it were an inside job, the recovery could have been way easier. However, the involvement of a sophisticated hacker group and platforms like Tornado Cash makes it complicated.
In a post on X, he clarified, “The cyber attack stemmed from a discrepancy between the data displayed on Liminal’s interface and the transaction’s actual contents. During the cyber attack, there was a mismatch between the information displayed on Liminal’s interface and what was actually signed. We suspect the payload was replaced to transfer wallet control to an attacker.”
Also Read: WazirX Hack Update: Firm Working With 500 Exchanges And FIU To Recover Funds
The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Altcoin
Ethereum Foundation Launches Pectra Tesnet ‘Mekong’, ETH Price Set For $4000
Ethereum Foundation on Thursday announced launch of its first short-lived Pectra testnet ‘Mekong.’ This testnet includes all the EIPs proposed for the upcoming Pectra upgrade on the Ethereum network. Will this trigger ETH price rally to $4000 as the price jumped 8% in the last 24 hours?
Ethereum Foundation Introduces Mekong Tesnet for Pectra
In an official announcement by Ethereum Foundation on November 7, the first short-lived Mekong testnet was introduced after scoping the Pectra fork and four DevNet events
The foundation said the Mekong testnet consists of all the EIPs proposed for the next major Pectra upgrade. It includes changes such as UX changes via EIP-7702, staking changes via EIP-7251, changes to the deposits and exit mechanisms via EIP-6110 and EIP-7002.
The Mekong testnet is focused on wallet developers to engage with UX changes and for stakers to gain confidence in the upcoming changes. This is a short-lived testnet but the features included will make it into existing public testnets and finally the mainnet.
In addition, Ethereum developer Tim Beiko reveals ethPandaOps has introduced this short-lived Pectra testnet Mekong to introduce major changes in mainnet. Also, this helps the crypto community try out EIP-7702, MaxEB consolidations, and more.
Moreover, Ethereum Foundation developer Parithosh recommended wallet teams to try Mekong testnet at the DevCon Week, which will run the entire week of November 9-17.
If you want something to hack on at DevCon, try out the Mekong testnet!
All the pectra EIPs are live: so you can brainstorm your EIP-7702 wallet user flows, deposit a validator to use MaxEB and exit a staking pool validator with a smart contract! https://t.co/GXEqhjrDjS
— parithosh | 🐼👉👈🐼 (@parithosh_j) November 7, 2024
ETH Price to Hit $4000
Bullish sentiment surrounding Donald Trump’s win and DevCon event has triggered the rally. Moreover, the launch of the Mekong testnet to fuel ETH price further. Notably, analyst Benjamin Cowen predicted Ethereum price rally after a bottom formation confirmation in the ETH/BTC pair above the 50 DMA.
Popular analysts Michael van de Poppe and Ali Martinez said Ethereum is in the early bull run stage. With the Pectra upgrade expected to take place in early 2025, whales are likely to buy the dip. Michael van de Poppe suggested that the markets are rotating and ETH will see a massive pump. Notably, a higher-low formation will bring much-awaited upward momentum.
Also, Ali Martinez added that MVRV Momentum crossing its 180-day has historically signaled a period of outperformance for ETH price. The cross hasn’t happened yet and gives an opportunity to buy the dip for more upside ahead for the $4000 psychological level.
ETH price today jumped 8% to a 3-month high, with the price currently trading at $2,800. The 24-hour low and high are $2,611 and $2,878, respectively. However, the trading volume has decreased by 6% over the last day.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Altcoin
Why Bitcoin Users Are Moving to Altcoins? As Ethereum Price Jumps 11%
Although the Bitcoin price rally has paused above $75,000 a day after Donald Trump’s victory, altcoins have continued their strong show with the Ethereum price taking the lead with 11% gains all the way to $2,850 levels. Investors have a lot of questions as to does this mark the beginning of the much-awaited altseason moving ahead.
Altcoins Steal the Limelight from Bitcoin?
On the day of Donald Trump’s victory on November 6, the Bitcoin price touched its all-time high levels surging all the way to $75,000. While the bulls try to defend these levels, altcoins seem to grabbing the investors’ focus.
The Ethereum price has managed to pull off 12% gains moving all the way to the $2,850 level and eying further rally to its all-time high levels. This comes despite strong selling pressure from Ethereum whales. Popular crypto analyst IncomeSharks noted that the ETH price has given a crucial breakout from the downward trendline slope, which opens the gates for a 75% rally from here to new all-time highs.
$ETH – Breakout. 75% move from here to an all time high. $3k first. pic.twitter.com/29KJzgk4Ex
— IncomeSharks (@IncomeSharks) November 7, 2024
Furthermore, after hitting the lower lows over the past few months, the ETH/BTC trading pair has notched up a bit. “With ETH/BTC at 0.035 it definitely makes sense to start hedging,” added Cowen. However, he added that for the bottom formation confirmation, the ETH/BTC pair must end above the 50 DMA.
I would watch #ETH / #BTC here.
If it can get above the 50D SMA, the there is a good chance that ETH/BTC has bottomed. pic.twitter.com/dXNYj2sDvY
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) November 7, 2024
Apart from Ethereum price surge, other altcoins like Solana made strong gains on Donald Trump’s victory. The Solana price has surged to $188 once again as talks about the approval of spot Solana ETF in the Trump presidency gain traction. As a result, analysts predict an SOL surge to $300 levels from here.
Will BTC Lose the Grip Over the Market?
Some market analysts state that it is still early to call the altseason and expect Bitcoin dominance to grow even further. Also, this could just be the beginning of the next major Bitcoin bull run.
Veteran trader Peter Brandt shared an optimistic outlook for Bitcoin, suggesting it has entered a “sweet spot” in the current bull market halving cycle. According to Brandt, Bitcoin is on track to peak between $130,000 and $150,000 by August or September of next year, marking a potential new high for the cryptocurrency.
Echoing similar thoughts, crypto analyst Ali Martinez noted that the next BTC top usually happens after 8 to 12 months following a monthly close above the previous all-time highs. Thus, he expects the next BTC top to happen anywhere between July to November 2025.
Historically, #Bitcoin has reached market tops roughly 8 to 12 months after achieving a monthly close above its previous all-time high.
If this pattern continues, the next potential market top for $BTC could occur between July and November 2025. pic.twitter.com/aWBZDBpUea
— Ali (@ali_charts) November 6, 2024
According to blockchain analytics firm CryptoQuant, Bitcoin’s recent all-time high doesn’t signal an overvaluation relative to its cost basis. The firm’s data on the MVRV ratio suggests that BTC remains well below peak levels. Additionally, Bitcoin’s price is close to traders’ average purchase cost, indicating that the market is not currently overheated. These insights point to the potential for continued growth in Bitcoin’s value.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
Altcoin
XRP Price At Risk As Ripple Moves $250M?
The XRP price has come under the spotlight following Ripple’s recent $250 million XRP transfer. This comes amid bullish predictions for the coin, with analysts saying that its price could enjoy a parabolic rally following Donald Trump’s win.
The XRP Price At Risk With Ripple’s $250 Million Transfer
The XRP price is at risk of a decline following Ripple’s transfer of $250 million worth of XRP to an unknown wallet. Onchain data shows that the crypto firm transferred 470 million XRP to this wallet (rP4X2…sKxv3). This unknown wallet has since transferred 100 million XRP to another wallet (rhWt2…E32hk).
The purpose of the $250 million transfer remains unclear. However, it could relate to Ripple’s On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) services or the ongoing SEC appeal case.
This development comes just a day after XRP whales moved $814 million, indicating whale accumulation. While the Ripple transfer is unlikely to impact the XRP price since it will likely be done over the counter (OTC) if it is a potential sale, it could still create a bearish sentiment among XRP investors.
However, crypto analysts are confident that XRP is currently in bullish territory following Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential elections. The coin could surge up to 3,336% as crypto analyst StephIsCrypto predicted a major above $2 following Trump’s victory.
A Price Surge Above $20 By Year-End
In an X post, Crypto analyst Amonyx made a bold prediction, stating that the XRP price will rise above $20 by year-end. In another X post, the analyst suggested that he was confident that this price surge would happen with the US SEC chair Gary Gensler set to be removed following Donald Trump’s victory.
Gensler’s removal is bullish for the XRP price because he has spearheaded the long-running legal battle against Ripple. The legal battle could have negatively impacted XRP all this time, creating doubts in investors’ minds.
However, with Gensler gone and the Ripple SEC lawsuit likely to end, investors could again become bullish on XRP and look to invest more in the crypto. Crypto analyst Ross Vandermeer also predicted that the XRP price could eventually rise to $1,000 thanks to Donald Trump’s US election victory.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently called on the US president-elect to fire Gary Gensler on day 1, just like he promised. Meanwhile, Ripple chief legal officer (CLO) Stuart Alderoty urged Trump to end the regulation-by-enforcement approach to position the US as the crypto capital.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
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