coinedition.com
Adding up to the crypto theft incidents, Bitcoin OG and core developer Luke Dashj tweeted that many of his bitcoins were stolen, on December 30. Dashj claimed on the last day that his Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) key was compromised and hackers took his Bitcoins.
PSA: My PGP key is compromised, and at least many of my bitcoins stolen. I have no idea how. Help please. #Bitcoin
— @[email protected] on Mastodon (@LukeDashjr) January 1, 2023
In a series of Twitter posts, Dashj shared a wallet address to which some of the stolen BTCs had been sent by the hacker.
Looks like some of it is coinjoined to 1YAR6opJCfDjBNdn5bV8b5Mcu84tv92fa
— @[email protected] on Mastodon (@LukeDashjr) January 1, 2023
Dashj also said that he had no idea how the hackers gained access to his PGP key.
A Bitcoin supporter with Twitter handle CertaintyShow asked Dashj what PGP has to do with anything, to which the developer replied: “That’s how you might verify that your Bitcoin Knots or Core download isn’t infested with malware.”
Following this hack, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao sent condolences to Luke Dashj in a tweet:
Sad to see even an OG Bitcoin Core Developer lost 200+ BTC ($3.5 million). Self-custody has a different set of risks. We will try to monitor and see where we can help.
Additionally, Bitcoin guide Udi Wertheimer responded to the incident: “You shouldn’t manage your own keys. If even one of Bitcoin’s OG developers messes this up, I really don’t know how other people are expected to do it safely.”
Recently, Certik Alert, a real-time alert provider, noticed that in 2022, the lowest number of hacks, scams, and exploits happened in December. This loss amounts to $62.2 million. Reportedly, in November 2022, the US Department of Justice announced the seizure of nearly $3.6 billion of stolen Bitcoin.