Key Points
- El Salvador’s national Bitcoin wallet, Chivo, has experienced a security breach.
- A hacker group leaked snippets of the wallet’s source code and VPN access information.
El Salvador’s national cryptocurrency wallet, Chivo, has been compromised. This marks another setback for the country’s pioneering cryptocurrency initiative.
Security Breach Details
The cybercriminal group, CiberInteligenciaSV, disclosed parts of the wallet’s source code and VPN access data on an internet hacking forum. This incident is one of several recent attacks on El Salvador’s official Chivo Wallet for Bitcoin, coinciding with some cryptocurrencies reaching two-year price peaks.
CiberInteligenciaSV stated in its post, “This time I am bringing you the code that is inside the Bitcoin Chivo Wallet ATMs in El Salvador, remember that it is a government wallet, and as you know, we do not sell, we publish everything for free for you.”
This security breach follows the release of the personal data of approximately 5.1 million Salvadorans by the same group of hackers. The data was publicly released as a form of retaliation against the Salvadoran government for not engaging with the hackers, according to CiberInteligencia. The hackers’ specific demands for discussions with Salvadoran officials remain unclear.
El Salvador’s Crypto Initiative
In 2021, El Salvador became the first country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. This bold move was intended to counteract the economic impact of its local currency’s declining value. As part of this initiative, the country introduced the Chivo Wallet, an official Bitcoin wallet for its citizens. This allowed Salvadorans to buy, sell, and store the world’s oldest cryptocurrency.
The Salvadoran government did not provide an immediate response to requests for comment on the security breach.