Cyberattack hits Iran’s top crypto exchange; $48M reportedly stolen
Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has confirmed it was targeted in a cyberattack, resulting in a significant security breach.
The incident reportedly led to the theft of approximately $48 million, sparking serious concerns among users and the broader crypto community, News.Az reports, citing Iranian media.
The attack, which targeted Nobitex’s “hot wallet” infrastructure, was claimed by a hacktivist group Predatory Sparrow (Gonjeshke Darande), allegedly linked to Israel.
The group accused Nobitex of facilitating sanctions evasion and financing activities linked to the Iranian government, including support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Nobitex said in a statement on Wednesday that its technical team detected unauthorized access earlier that morning and acted swiftly to suspend all access. It stressed that the majority of user assets were held in cold storage and remained secure.
A hot wallet is connected to the internet and used for quick transactions, while a cold wallet is offline and offers higher security for long-term storage.
“The incident only affected a portion of assets held in hot wallets,” the platform said. “Nobitex accepts full responsibility and will compensate all damages through its insurance fund and internal resources.”
The exchange’s website and app have been taken offline temporarily while an internal investigation continues.
Predatory Sparrow threatened to publish Nobitex’s internal source code and user data unless the platform is fully emptied by users.
On Tuesday, the group also claimed responsibility for a separate cyberattack on Iran’s Bank Sepah – affiliated with Iran’s military, alleging they destroyed critical data and disrupted online access.
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