On June 18, the hackers crowed about cracking Nobitex exchange, right after proclaiming they’d obliterated Iran’s Bank Sepah data!
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| Photo credit _New York post |
On Wednesday, a pro-Israel cyber crew siphoned off over $90 million in cryptocurrency from an Iranian exchange.
However, multiple crypto-tracking firms report that Gonjeshke Darande, or 'Predatory Sparrow' in Farsi, squandered the entire haul after allegedly burning it.
The loot is now locked away in vanity addresses without the cryptographic keys, rendering it unreachable, according to The Guardian.
On June 18, the group announced it had breached the Nobitex exchange, just one day after asserting they obliterated data at Iran’s state-run Bank Sepah, as tensions between Israel and the Islamic Republic intensified.
Cryptocurrencies including Doge, Ethereum, and Bitcoin were siphoned from digital wallets on Nobitex, an Iranian exchange linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Crypto-tracking firm Elliptic reported that over $90 million in cryptocurrency was funneled from Nobitex wallets to addresses controlled by the hackers.
The pilfered funds were sent to addresses incorporating variations of the phrase “F*ckIRGCterrorists.” In an X post, Predatory Sparrow confirmed its attack on Nobitex and subsequently disclosed its source code.
Predatory Sparrow likely lacks the private keys for the crypto addresses where they transferred Nobitex’s funds, effectively destroying the assets to send a political message to Nobitex, Elliptic stated.
Predatory Sparrow is often cited in Israeli media as having ties to Israel, though no definitive evidence has confirmed the hackers' identity or nationality.
While it’s not yet verified that Predatory Sparrow moved the funds, the attack seems driven by the recent surge in Israel-Iran tensions, Elliptic noted.
Nobitex, boasting over 7 million users, is Iran’s leading cryptocurrency exchange.
Previous investigations by independent journalists have uncovered connections between Nobitex and ransomware operatives linked to the IRGC, as well as individuals closely associated with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
The assault took place as tensions escalated between Israel and Iran, with both nations trading missile attacks on key military sites.
On Thursday, the US announced it would hold off on direct involvement in the conflict for another two weeks, while Russia cautioned Israel against striking the Bushehr nuclear facility.
Earlier, President Donald Trump expressed growing frustration with Iran, issuing warnings to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who responded by warning that any US intervention would lead to “catastrophic consequences.”
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