Hackers have gained unauthorized access to El Salvador’s government-managed Bitcoin wallet for the second time, releasing more confidential information into the public domain.
On April 23rd, an unknown group going by the name CiberInteligenciaSV publicly shared some confidential information about Chivo’s source code and VPN access details for Bitcoin ATMs operated by the state in El Salvador. This data was posted on BreachForums, a notorious online community known to harbor criminals and malicious hackers.
“On this occasion, I present to you the code used in the Bitcoin Chivo Wallet ATMs located in El Salvador. Please keep in mind that this is a government-operated wallet, and our policy is to make all information publicly available for your use, free of charge.”
CiberInteligenciaSV on BreachForums
VenariX gave a heads-up to people and the crypto community about the Chivo leak threat a day prior to the incident based on information from CiberInteligenciaSV’s Telegram Channel where they had hinted at the BreachForums post. The cybercriminal group, BreachForums, seemed to have extended negotiations to government officials as well.)
El Salvador Chivo debacle
In September 2021, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador made Bitcoin an legal tender for the country, making Chivo the authorized Bitcoin wallet from the government. This wallet has since been utilized as a national tool. (Note: Chivo means “pig” in Spanish and was likely named as a playful reference to the popular term “hodl,” which means holding onto cryptocurrencies.)
El Salvadorans can utilize Chivo for purchasing or selling Bitcoin. This platform also enables locals to retrieve cryptocurrency from Bitcoin Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) scattered throughout El Salvador. However, shortly after its debut, users encountered various problems with the wallet, including sluggish performance, crashes, and other technical glitches.
In 2022, AlphaPoint, a U.S. software company specializing in white-label solutions, collaborated with the government to resolve technical issues, according to crypto.news reports.
Around five million Salvadorans had their personal information made public online earlier this month in a data breach. According to DataBreaches, this massive leak of 144GB was obtained from a former national security advisor named Alejandro Muyshondt. It is believed that the hackers gained access to these files through a cloud backup.
At first, people thought the data came from a vaccination database due to its contents including full names, dates of birth, personal photos, and addresses. But later on, it was discovered that this information was actually required for signing up for Chivo, El Salvador’s digital wallet system. The Bukele administration has yet to make any official statement about the situation.
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2024-04-23 19:48