Iran’s Nobitex crypto exchange hit by $81 mln hack – Israel group claims responsibility

• Nobitex suffered an $81M hack, wherein vanity addresses were used to taunt and exploit platform vulnerabilities.
• An Israeli hacker group claimed responsibility and threatened code leaks.

Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, has reportedly suffered a massive exploit involving over $81 million across multiple blockchain networks.

ZachXBT dives deep into the Nobitex attack

On-chain analyst ZachXBT was the first to spot unusual activity on the Tron [TRX] network, revealing an initial $48.65 million outflow that later expanded significantly across additional EVM-compatible blockchains.

According to ZachXBT, the attackers deployed two customized “vanity addresses,” a tactic often used to send a provocative message or signal control during a hack.

One such address alone was responsible for siphoning off $49 million, raising serious concerns about Nobitex’s platform security and the scale of the incident. Its name was,

“TKFuckiRGCTerroristsNoBiTEXy2r7mNX.”

The second one was named,

“0xffFFfFFffFFffFfFffFFfFfFfFFFFfFfFFFFDead.”

What did Nobitex do in response?

Nobitex disclosed that its technical team identified a security breach impacting a segment of its infrastructure, primarily involving hot wallets.

In response to the breach, the exchange promptly suspended the compromised wallets to prevent further asset movement.

While the full extent of the breach is still under investigation, Nobitex said, 

“Users’ assets are completely secure according to cold storage standards, and the above incident only affected a portion of the assets in hot wallets.”

They further added, 

“All damages will be compensated through the insurance fund and Nobitex resources.”

Following the security breach, Nobitex publicly accepted full responsibility and assured users that all losses would be compensated through its insurance coverage and internal reserves.

In fact, the platform has temporarily taken its website and application offline to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.

Community rattled

However, despite these reassurances, Iran’s crypto community has been critical, mocking the exchange for its apparent lack of caution and suggesting that the exploit could have been prevented with stronger security protocols in place.

X (formerly Twitter) user ASHKHAN_NZ critiqued,

“This is what happens when 4 idiots take over the technical team.”

Adding to the fray was leilalo, who declared, 

“If our money is not returned, you all should be tried in the next government.”

The story took another massive turn when the Nobitex hack shifted into political territory after a pro-Israel group called “Gonjeshke Darande” claimed involvement.

In a post on X, the group not only admitted to orchestrating the exploit but also threatened to leak the exchange’s source code and internal files within 24 hours, warning that any remaining funds were still in jeopardy.

This incident marks yet another blow in a year already plagued by over 18 high-profile crypto hacks, underscoring escalating risks and vulnerabilities across the industry.

Bearing the impact, Bitcoin [BTC], too, briefly surged to $108K amid weekend tensions but retreated to $105K as geopolitical fears eased.