Pro-Israel hackers took $81M in crypto — but it wasn’t about the money

Key Points

1. Pro-Israel hacker group Gonjeshke Darande exploited a hot wallet failure in Nobitex, stealing $81 million in cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ether, Tron, Solana, and Dogecoin.

2. Nobitex, a major Iranian exchange with ties to sanctioned groups like Hamas and the IRGC, was a strategic target due to its role in Iran's financial system under sanctions.

3. The hackers used vanity addresses to send a political message, emphasizing the attack's non-financial motives.

4. Iran and Israel have a history of crypto-related conflicts, including Israel freezing crypto linked to Iranian proxy groups and Iran executing a Mossad spy paid in crypto.

5. Crypto hacks are increasingly used for political purposes, as seen with North Korea's Lazarus Group and pro-Russian hackers in the Ukraine conflict.