In a recent incident, a victim of a significant hack, known as @l3yum on Twitter, discovered a new measure to recover stolen funds on the blockchain. The attacker had stolen 90 Ether (ETH) (equivalent to approximately $166,000) along with several NFTs related to Yuga Labs and other smaller projects, after getting hold of the victim’s hot wallet seed phrase on March 16.
With the aid of police and cyber authorities, the victim managed to have the hacker’s USDT address (an Ethereum-based wallet) blacklisted and the stolen funds were frozen. At present, the blacklisted wallet possesses locked up $107,306 worth of USDT, suggesting the victim will potentially recover most, but not all of the initial stolen value.
However, it’s yet unclear whether the victim will indeed get reimbursed. In previous situations where a USDT address was blacklisted under similar circumstances, Tether tended to burn the blacklisted USDT and re-issue equal amounts to the original owner. While blacklisting typically requires a court order, this route hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The primary uncertainty now revolves around is how the attacker gained access to the seed phrase initially. According to speculation, the victim could have been SIM swapped, inadvertently backed up their seed phrase on iCloud, or used the wallet on different devices.
The security of digital assets unquestionably appears to be a double-edged sword. While there’s progress in methods of recovering lost funds, the incident underlines how incredibly vulnerable the digital assets can be to theft and hacking attempts. This situation showcases a consensus to ensure the security and validity of transactions while emphasizing the importance of diligent protection measures by the end-users.
Moreover, this case underscores the challenging mix of ensuring effective regulations to foster a safe crypto landscape, along with preventing overregulation from suppressing the innovative potential of this technology. Ethical, practical, and secure cybersecurity practices must be upheld to effectively regulate blockchain and ensure user safety.
In closing, the incident throws light on the need for tech companies to be more responsible for the mishaps their platforms can cause, while also assuring that the digital world is not a threat-free landscape. Besides, it challenges digital asset holders to be more cautious, leading to better practices for improved security and safety of their holdings.
Source: Cointelegraph
