Russian intelligence services were hit by a hacking attack, and some bitcoins were stolen and quickly sent to Ukrainian organizations as financial aid for the Russian aggression.
The most interesting part of this story is that hacked Russian addresses have previously been the focus of certain accusations.
Let’s look at the details of the incident together.
Bitcoin Hacked: BTC Stolen by Russian Intelligence Agency
A very strange case involving an anonymous user and Russian intelligence.
An anonymous user pulls off a masterstroke Steal multiple BTC from many Russian intelligence agencies such as the General Military Intelligence (GRU), the International Intelligence Service (SVR), the Federal Security Service (FSB), and All funds donated to Ukrainian humanitarian organizationsIn addition to the three Russian addresses, this bitcoin hack also involves 983 other unidentified wallets, whose private keys provide access. Confirmation of intercompany transactionswas stolen.
It is unknown how the attackers obtained the private keys of these wallets, or even how they compromised Russia’s computer security systems.
Perhaps this was a strategy, not a hacking attack invented by insider Possessing highly classified information within the Russian Intelligence Service or otherwise.
It is unknown how much BTC was donated to the Ukrainian organization.These funds were stolen by supporters of the Ukrainian military and their purpose was Weakening Russia’s profile Both economically and reputationally.
In fact, even though the government itself has banned Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies several times, Russians are known to always be at the forefront of the cryptocurrency cyber landscape.
However, this is not the first time Russia has been attacked in the context of cryptography, especially since the beginning of the conflict with Ukraine and then the Soviet invasion.
Specifically, the addresses most affected by this bitcoin hack i.e. GRU, SVR, FSB funded wallets via cyber theft and fraud via public messages published on the bitcoin blockchain. has been criticized as
The accusations, which have not yet been verified but are said to be true, were made around the time the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the invasion of Donbass territory began.
Bitcoin Hack Victim Russian Address Was Previously Accused Of Cryptocurrency Cyber Theft
first attack Russian intelligence agency The same anonymous user who ran during the initial political tensions between Russia and Ukraine and sent funds to Ukrainian aid organizations just a few days ago has sent the GRU, SVR, and FSB to criminal profile We specialize in hacking Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Basically, the story is about anonymous hackers stealing money from Russian hackers through Bitcoin hacking attacks.
It has been confirmed that the allegations have some truthful basis. 2 companies in Russia A third of those hacked were involved in the Solarwinds attack, and a third paid for servers used in the Russian disinformation campaign during the 2016 elections.
Vigilantes used certain features of the Bitcoin protocol to flag the Russian wallet as the result of criminal activity. OP return.
this is a feature Mark transaction as invalid It effectively burns all bitcoins involved in the transaction while allowing textual messages to be recorded on the blockchain.
Those who abused the OP RETURN mechanism publicly pointed out that the Russian address was a criminal organization and burned about $300,000. Bitcoin to gain credibility for such claims.
However, since Russia’s invasion of Donbass, the sender of the OP RETURN feature has stopped burning cryptocurrencies for attention, stealing their BTC holdings and donating them to Ukraine to fund war, thus turning the heart of Russia’s intelligence services into started attacking the department. operation.
From this last point, we can understand the purpose of the mysterious user involved in the incident. undermine Russia’s credibility and undermine its institutionsseeks to strengthen Ukraine by supporting it through voluntary crypto actions.
The Role of Cryptocurrencies in the Russo-Ukrainian War
Beyond the issue of Bitcoin hacks and cyberattacks, it is interesting to note how cryptocurrencies in general have affected us. important role In the last two years of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Pseudo-anonymous and decentralized nature In both Russia and Ukraine, many individuals and organizations have used cryptocurrencies to transfer money via international transactions in situations where international payment circuits are not working as usual.
For example, early in the dispute, Binance made a decision. donate $10 million in cryptocurrency To Ukraine to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine through the Binance charity site.
At the same time, the crypto exchange also launched a fundraising campaign called “.Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund” Assisting the state in resistance to Russian military aggression.
Donating in crypto makes it possible get rid of brokers The transaction ensures that 100% of the total amount donated (after transaction fees have been removed) goes directly into the hands of the designated organization.
In addition to Binance, other big names in the crypto scene have also come to this front by supporting Ukraine.
First and foremost, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin reminded people on Twitter that: His blockchain infrastructure remains neutral Due to the agnostic nature of technology, he can publicly choose which side to take as an individual.
The Ukrainian government itself openly accepts Crypto P2P ideal By accepting support via the Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polkadot blockchain networks.
The currencies used for donations were mainly BTC, ETH, USDT and DOT.
In this regard, Polkadot founder Gavin Wood donated $5 million in dots As a pledge to the cause, just in case the Ukrainian government opens the doors of the cryptocurrency payment network for donations, as it happens.
