Digital Currency Exchange ShapeShift Claims Hack Was Inside Job

Digital currency exchange ShapeShift says it now believes that a hacking incident announced last week involved a former employee.

AccessTimeIconApr 14, 2016 at 3:59 p.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 4:46 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Days after disclosing that it had been the target of a hacking incident, digital currency exchange ShapeShift said it now believes the theft was an inside job.

In a post on Reddit, CEO Eric Voorhees stated that the firm had suspected the hack was supported by a former employee, whose name and position was not disclosed.

  • 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
  • Voorhees wrote:

    "Since the investigation into the ShapeShift hack last week started, we had suspicion that someone previously on the team was involved, and that this person assisted an outside hacker. We are confident now that is is indeed the case."

    The exchange announced the hack last week, which resulted in the theft of an undisclosed amount from the service's connected wallets.

    Voorhees further stated that refunds for pending orders remain held and "are in the process of being resolved". When the exchange service announced the hack, Voorhees said that refunds would be processed within 24 hours.

    After posting the latest update, Voorhees later wrote that the refunds were being held in a bid to avoid fraud.

    The CEO went on to reiterate that a detailed post-mortem of the incident would be published in the future, though he did not offer a specific date beyond "the appropriate time".

    ShapeShift is currently working with Toronto-based blockchain consultancy Ledger Labs during its investigation of the hack, according to the update.

    Image via Shutterstock

    Disclaimer: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in ShapeShift.

    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.