In a bold move, Gryphon Digital has requested a court dismissal of a lawsuit filed by their former partner Sphere 3D. The litigation is the result of a deceptive “spoofing” attack, which saw 26 BTC transferred into a fraudulent account. Gryphon asserts that Sphere’s inadequate security measures directly facilitated this scam, while Sphere lays the blame squarely on Gryphon’s shoulders, accusing them of gross negligence and violation of contractual duties.
The lawsuit stems from an incident where Gryphon CEO, Rob Chang, allegedly wired 18 BTC to a scammer posing as Sphere 3D’s chief financial officer. An additional eight BTC was transferred to the same address days later, amounting to a total loss of $500,000 in assets. Gryphon, however, has sensationally stated they are the victims here, emphasizing that Sphere’s failure to secure and control its tech systems enabled a threat actor to infiltrate their system, send spoofed emails, and trick Gryphon into transferring the funds.
A spoofing attack is when a cybercriminal masquerades as a trusted entity, usually in an attempt to steal data, gain unauthorized access, or divert activity for malicious purposes. The implication here is that Sphere’s technology was potentially easy prey for the cyber attacker.
These revelations have disturbed Sphere’s CEO, Patricia Trompeter, who stated, “Gryphon has put the Company’s assets at significant risk and wilfully violated their contractual duties.” Criticism has also circled Sphere’s alleged complacency around their tech system’s security, giving rise to intrigue around where the blame truly lies in such complex situations.
Gryphon is not stopping at seeking dismissal. They’ve also launched a counter-claim against Sphere 3D for breach of contract, negligence, and defamation. The season of goodwill is clearly over for these companies whose partnership began with the management of Sphere 3D’s “crypto mining activities” under the Gryphon brand. Unfortunately, their merger plans disbanded rapidly due to undisclosed reasons, bringing us to the lawsuits in play today.
This intriguing story not only highlights the tensions between companies but also casts a new light on issues surrounding cryptocurrency and security breaches. It serves as a reminder that even in the world of next-generation technology, human fragility and negligence can have severe ramifications.
Source: Cointelegraph
