Israeli hackers hit Iran’s Nobitex crypto exchange and stole $82 million

Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex has fallen victim to a large-scale hacker attack. According to onchain analyst ZachXBT, attackers withdrew about $81.7 million in assets by exploiting hot wallet vulnerabilities. The hack was accompanied by political statements and demonstrative symbolism in the withdrawal addresses.

The hackers used vanity addresses with offensive references to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Among them are lines like “FuckIRGCTerroristsNoBiTEX”, clearly indicating the political motive of the attack. The exchange confirmed the incident, suspended hot wallets and assured that cold storages were not affected.

The pro-Israeli group Gonjeshke Darande claimed responsibility for the attack. They accused Nobitex of financing terrorism and promised to publish the platform’s internal documents if the demands were not met within 24 hours. The hack coincided with a new round of escalation between Israel and Iran.

According to experts, the attack was made possible by a critical error in the access control system. Cyvers and CertiK experts noted that the cause was operational flaws and key vulnerabilities, not the protocol itself. The stolen assets remain unmoved for the time being.

Against the backdrop of this incident, onchain sleuth ZachXBT once again raised the topic of a “super-crime cycle” in the crypto industry. He accused influencers and passive projects of connivance, and noted that gray OTC brokers are successfully laundering millions stolen in previous attacks.

He estimated that the shadow USDT market in the TRON network could be as high as $10 billion, emphasizing that in the absence of regulatory pressure and accountability, the ecosystem continues to operate with high levels of abuse and criminality.