Cryptocurrency Mining Market NiceHash Hacked

The cryptocurrency mining marketplace NiceHash has been hacked, the team behind it said in a newly released statement.

AccessTimeIconDec 6, 2017 at 8:40 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 7:38 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

The cryptocurrency mining marketplace NiceHash has been hacked, its team said Wednesday.

Posting on social media, NiceHash said that "there has been a security breach involving NiceHash website" resulting in a loss of funds. NiceHash, formed in 2014, serves as a marketplace for miners to rent out their hash rate to others.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • The announcement follows an hours-long outage and reports from a multitude of users that their NiceHash-associated wallets had been emptied. NiceHash previously announced that it was "under maintenance," a message that it had posted to its official website as well.

    The company said in its statement:

    "Importantly, our payment system was compromised and the contents of the NiceHash Bitcoin wallet have been stolen. We are working to verify the precise number of BTC taken. Clearly, this is a matter of deep concern and we are working hard to rectify the matter in the coming days. In addition to undertaking our own investigation, the incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are co-operating with them as a matter of urgency."

    Though the team didn't disclose an exact amount, a wallet address circulated by NiceHash users suggest that as many as 4,736.42 BTC – an amount worth more than $62 million at current prices – has been stolen.

    The NiceHash team urged users to change their non-NiceHash online passwords as a result of the breach and subsequent theft.

    "While the full scope of what happened is not yet known, we recommend, as a precaution, that you change your online passwords," they wrote in the statement.

    NiceHash did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

    CoinDesk will continue monitoring this developing story.

    Image via Shutterstock

    This article has been updated for clarity.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.



    Read more about