Ledger Hack Scare Nears $90M as Tether Freezes Stolen USDT
Summary
- Suspected supply-chain attack on Ledger devices sold by reseller CryptoBilis drained up to $91M from 311 wallets across multiple chains.
- Tether is freezing linked USDT in real time while blockchain investigators track the stolen funds.
- All confirmed cases tie back to the authorized Southeast Asia reseller, and Ledger states its direct sales channels remain unaffected.
A suspected supply-chain attack drained nearly $90 million from hundreds of wallets. Users bought the Ledger devices from authorized reseller CryptoBilis. The exploit surfaced on October 9. Funds moved across five chains while Tether blacklisted the linked USDT addresses.
Losses hit Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tron holdings from 311 wallets.
The incident raises questions about hardware wallet security in third-party channels. Investigators and Ledger examine evidence of tampering on devices from the Malaysian reseller.
Context
Hardware wallets keep private keys offline. This case centers on physical tampering at the point of sale. All confirmed draining cases involve devices sold by CryptoBilis.
Ledger confirms it.
CryptoBilis has paused all hardware wallet sales. Ledger widened its request to halt sales through that channel.
Details
Ledger investigates reports of hardware implants on reseller devices. Losses span BTC, ETH, and TRX addresses. Estimates range from $86 million to $91 million.
Tether froze stolen USDT as investigators identify linked addresses. Blockchain tracking shows funds still moving.
"All confirmed draining cases involve devices sold by authorized Southeast Asia reseller CryptoBilis."
, Ledger
Ledger confirms its own direct sales channels remain unaffected. Users who bought devices straight from Ledger face no reported issues.
- Verify purchase sources before setting up any hardware wallet.
- Check device integrity through official Ledger verification steps if bought from third parties.
Outlook
Ledger urges affected users to take immediate precautions. The investigation continues. The focus now shifts to supply-chain checks across authorized resellers.
