Bitcoin Market suspends withdrawals and deposits after security incident and hacker attack
Broker reported the incident on Monday (2) and did not disclose the official amount; unofficial trackers point to US$40 million being moved shortly after the attack on Binance.
BY THE X-TRADER NEWS NEWSROOM · REPORTING FROM SEU DINHEIRO · 2 MIN
Mercado Bitcoin (MB) reported a security incident on Monday morning (2) and, as a preventive measure, temporarily blocked deposits and withdrawals from the broker. According to Seu Dinheiro, the official amount diverted was not disclosed. Unofficial on-chain trackers indicate US$40 million moved from possible addresses linked to the broker, information that appears in the two publications consulted.
The case occurs in the midst of an episode of great repercussion in the sector. According to Seu Dinheiro, Binance suffered, on Thursday (29), what the publication calls the biggest hacker attack in history. Money Times reports that hackers stole $6.3 billion in the record exchange attack.
According to the Money Times survey, the attack on Mercado Bitcoin occurred just under three days after the attack on Binance. The proximity of the dates draws attention, but the facts established do not establish any relationship between the two cases.
Analysts interviewed by Money Times attribute the attack on Binance to North Korea. According to the publication, there are analysts who estimate that the attack could shake confidence in digital assets.
For investors who maintain resources in a brokerage, the central point is custody. While the preventive measure is in effect, deposits and withdrawals are blocked, and the amount actually diverted from Mercado Bitcoin has not yet been disclosed. This combination, without official numbers and third-party estimates, leaves the customer with no clear parameter to assess the size of the problem.
What changes for the investor
Incidents of this type tend to raise attention to custody risk, that is, the risk of leaving assets in the custody of a broker. In a free competitive market, transparency about the amount diverted, the deadline for resuming operations and the protection measures adopted is what allows the client to compare institutions and decide where to keep their resources. This analysis does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any asset and does not project quotes.
Automatically translated from Portuguese.
