According to the Bureau of Federal Investigations United States (FBI), computer criminals, would be planning massive theft of cryptocurrencies. The hacker they could point the amounts in BTC and other cryptocurrencies that they have in the users on the centralized exchange platforms or exchanges. On the other hand, the US agency, warned that there is a probability that the attacks will occur this week.
This is not the first time that the internal security agency of that country, alerts about attacks against digital assets. Last 2019, the San Francisco office issued a warning about attacks of type SIM Swapping. At that time, the hacker unknown individuals were trying to break into the victims ‘ bank accounts.
The aforementioned modality SIM Swapping, would be the action that the hacker. It has become popular in recent attacks, since it violates most of the security options of crypto exchange platforms. So far, there are no reports of these attacks after the FBI announcement, which occurred last week.
Is BTC stored on exchanges in danger?
Currently, the BTC of the main exchanges enjoys a lot of security and the fact that it could be stolen, is minimal. However, security is not 100% and there are still gaps that hackers can claim. Therefore, many holders of Bitcoin and other digital currencies expressed their concern.
Despite the danger that may exist in centralized exchange platforms, it is advisable not to panic. It should be noted that alerts could have a counterproductive impact on hacker, since the security teams of the exchanges they’re forewarned.
In that regard, the FBI asked the directives of those platforms, to be attentive, especially with newly created accounts. At the same time, to thoroughly take any request for change of email, phone number and other data in existing accounts.
As for users who own BTC on those exchanges, they are asked to maintain the security hygiene of their accounts. For example, constantly changing passwords, avoid downloading applications with access to the device. Also, do not offer personal data to technical support services that are suspicious.
Avoid getting carried away by FUD
One of the key aspects of situations like these is to stay calm. The nervousness that leads people to rush out funds could lead them to transfer them to the wrong addresses. Thus, FUD is never good at solving problems, but sharpens them.
Another thing to keep in mind is to review the security aspects over and over again. To do this, it is key to minimize the amount of data published on social networks. Facebook, Twitter and other networks are the favorite places for criminals to collect the data they require.
For its part, expert advice should be taken into account. One of them, is that BTC funds should never be kept on exchanges, as this could help avoid major losses. These should be saved in wallets let them offer private keys and also in so-called cold wallets.
In centralized exchanges, on the other hand, funds must be kept for the exchange for everyday expenses. The amounts dedicated to the trading or other services such as stack. Simply put, on those platforms you should only maintain what is strictly necessary. Savings should be sent to wallets safer.
What are the SIM Swapping alerts of the FBI?
The attack in the mode SIM Swapping, is one of the favorites of hacker in the last few months. Reports have been alarming, while their favorite targets are cryptocurrency holders. In this case, BTC holders on centralized exchanges could be listed as the main target according to the FBI.
These attacks consist of SIM card hijacking. To do this, hackers use the complicity of employees of telephone companies or their own negligence. Once the victim’s phone number has been proxied, the hacker they have few obstacles to seizing the funds of their victims.
According to the FBI, the success rate of these attacks is high. All this is due to the very nature of Blockchain technology. The matter gets worse if criminals use other opaque network digital currencies to withdraw the funds. For example, some cryptocurrencies like Zcash, have advanced privacy protocols that hide the wallet who sends, who receives and the amount. All this makes it impossible to know the whereabouts of the stolen funds.
Here are some steps you can take to prevent an attack SIM Swapping.
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