Iran’s Crypto Exchange Loses $82 Million in Hack from Israeli Attackers

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Crypto Chaos: $82 Million Vanishes Like Your Ex’s Promises! 💸💔

Nobitex, the Iran-based crypto exchange, just lost a jaw-dropping $82 million in a hack that sounds like the plot of a bad spy movie—allegedly orchestrated by Israeli attackers. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT spilled the tea on this digital heist, revealing that the attackers drained this massive sum by swiping assets across the Tron Network and other Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchains. Talk about a crypto caper! 🕵️‍♂️

According to @zachxbt, the pro-Israel hacker group Gonjeshke Darande decided to play Robin Hood, but instead of giving to the poor, they just took $82M from Nobitex. 🙄

Including: 55M $USDT, 39.41M $DOGE ($6.72M), 255.65B $PEPE ($2.61M), 18.47 $BTC ($1.94M)…

Source:

Attacker…

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) June 18, 2025

Our blockchain buddy also noted that these digital bandits were using a “vanity address” to exploit the protocol, leading to some “suspicious outflows” from several wallets linked to Nobitex. A vanity address is basically a public wallet address that’s dressed up for a night out—complete with a user-defined sequence of characters. Who knew crypto could be so fancy? 💁‍♀️

In a plot twist worthy of a daytime soap, the attackers initially snagged $49 million using the vanity address “TKFuckiRGCTerroristsNoBiTEXy2r7mNX.” Yes, you read that right. Meanwhile, Tronscan revealed that the second address involved in the exploit was “0xffFFfFFffFFffFfFffFFfFfFfFFFFfFfFFFFDead.” Because why not throw in a little drama with a name like that? 🎭

Iranian Crypto Exchange Nobitex Assures Funds Are SAFU

Nobitex, in a classic “we’re totally fine” move, acknowledged the “security incident,” claiming that losses were limited to “a portion of hot wallet assets.” So, don’t worry, your funds are reportedly safe in cold storage—like that leftover pizza you forgot about in the fridge. 🍕

Earlier today, the exchange announced it had detected unauthorized access to its reporting infrastructure and hot wallet. In a post on X, Nobitex confirmed it had promptly suspended access and reassured users that their assets remained safe. They noted:

“Immediately upon detection, all access was suspended, and our internal security teams are closely investigating the extent of the incident. We would like to remind you that users’ assets are completely secure, adhering to cold storage standards. The above incident only affected a portion of the assets in hot wallets. However, the platform hasn’t publicly revealed specifics about the stolen assets or the alleged perpetrators.”

Who Is Behind the Hack?

The hacker group Gonjeshke Darande, also known as Predatory Sparrow (because who doesn’t love a good bird pun?), has claimed responsibility for the Nobitex crypto hack. They’re like the bad guys in a movie that you can’t help but root for.

In a post on their X account, they stated, “We, ‘Gonjeshke Darande,’ conducted cyberattacks against Nobitex.”

پس از بانک سپه، نوبت Nobitex شدهشدار!

در 24 ساعت آینده، کد منبع نوبیتکس و اطلاعات داخلی از شبکه داخلی آن را منتشر خواهیم کرد.هر دارایی که پس از آن در آنجا باقی بماند در معرض خطر خواهد بود!

صرافی نوبیتکس در قلب تلاش های رژیم برای تامین مالی ترور در سراسر جهان قرار دارد. این…

— Gonjeshke Darande (@GonjeshkeDarand) June 18, 2025

Additionally, the hackers accused Nobitex of helping the Iranian regime dodge sanctions, claiming the exchange was a key player in supporting the government’s financial and military activities. Because nothing says “I love my country” like a little cyber warfare, right? 🙃

The attackers issued a warning, threatening to release Nobitex’s internal source code and data within 24 hours while cautioning users that any assets still on the platform after the deadline would be at risk. So, if you’re holding onto your crypto like it’s a life raft, you might want to rethink your strategy! 🚨

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2025-06-18 19:52