A cyberattack on an online video game allowed a group of hackers to steal over $ 600 million worth of cryptocurrencies in what experts have called one of the biggest digital heists ever.
As announced Tuesday by payment service Ronin, hackers stole 173,600 units of the cryptocurrency Ether and a stablecoin worth $ 25.5 million. "Most" of the loot is still in the hacker accounts, Ronin explained.
The service was founded by the creator of the popular "Axie Infinity" online game, Sky Mavis, to enable digital currency transfers in and out of the game.
The attack was discovered thanks to a user who complained that he could not transfer cryptocurrency from his account, but it dates back to about a week ago. The company promised to use "all available resources" to put in place "the most sophisticated security measures and processes to prevent future attacks" and to "ensure that user funds are not lost."
In the "Axie Infinity" game, players participate in battles with colorful avatars representing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a type of unique digital artwork that can be sold, rented and developed. Users can exchange in-game rewards for cryptocurrencies or cash. According to the manufacturer, the game has 2.5 million active users every day.
(Unioneonline / vl)
