After reports emerged of the potential theft of more than $80 million in crypto from its devices, Ledger confirmed over the weekend that at least one wallet linked to the ongoing CryptoBilis investigation contained an unauthorized hardware implant.
Meanwhile, a new community report on X claims that a suspicious Ledger device purchased from MediaMarkt in Europe may also have been compromised, expanding the reach well beyond Southeast Asia.
The ledger confirms
In the last update Published on Saturday evening, the hardware wallet maker said it had examined a device belonging to an affected user and found an “unauthorized hardware implant” inside. The team said it contacted affected users and began working with authorities.
CryptoBilis also responded to Ledger’s request to halt sales of all hardware wallet stocks, not just Ledger products, until the investigation is complete. The company behind devices such as Nano X said it had no indication that its own security infrastructure, systems or services had been compromised. It also has yet to determine how many of the affected devices contain implants or confirm that the discovered implant is responsible for all of the reported wallet leaks.
The initial report, which we published yesterday, indicated that customers who purchased through CryptoBilis in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines were affected. Initial investigations claimed the alleged losses exceeded $86 million, but a new report from Bitquery puts this estimate closer to $93 million spread across 311 wallets across five chains.
Europe too?
A message from user claimed that a Ledger purchased through MediaMarkt in Europe also showed signs of possible hardware manipulation. The report quickly circulated throughout the broad crypto community, sparking warnings that the incident may no longer be geographically isolated to Southeast Asia.
However, the European situation has not been confirmed to be compromised by the wallet manufacturer, and users reviewing the published images disagree on what they actually show. Some have argued that the hardware appears incompatible with a real Ledger card, while others have said they cannot see the same type of additional implant identified in the Southeast Asian case.
However, MediaMarkt is an official Ledger reseller in several European markets, including Germany and Austria. But for now, this unconfirmed part of the story remains uncertain, while the initial case in Asia continues to claim new victims, according to X reports.
The post Ledger Confirms Hardware Implementation as Falsified Wallet Reports Allegedly Spread in Europe appeared first on CryptoPotato.
About the Author
