Recent Hackers Leak Source Code of El Salvador’s Bitcoin Wallet Chivo
Hackers Strike Again: El Salvador’s Chivo Bitcoin Wallet Source Code Leaked
In a shocking turn of events, hacker group CiberInteligenciaSV has once again targeted El Salvador’s state-run Bitcoin wallet, Chivo. After leaking the personal data of millions of users earlier this month, the group has now exposed part of the software wallet’s source code on a black hat hacking forum.
The hackers announced their latest move on their Telegram channel, stating, “Tonight we will publish part of the source code and VPN access that belongs to Chivo Wallet, for free as always, unless one of you nosy government people wants to talk.” This comes after they released over 144 GB of data containing the personal information of 5.1 million Salvadorans who had downloaded the wallet.
The stolen information included users’ full names, unique identifying numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and even HD pictures of their faces. This week’s leak also included the file Codigo.rar, which contained code and VPN credentials for El Salvador’s Chivo ATM network.
Despite these breaches, the Salvadoran government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the hacks. The rollout of Chivo began in September 2021 when El Salvador implemented Bitcoin as legal tender. However, the wallet’s launch was marred by software bugs and technical glitches, with users reporting difficulties in receiving promised incentives and withdrawing money from Chivo ATMs.
The government had plans to install lightning network technology at over 100 Chivo ATMs to facilitate faster and lower-fee Bitcoin transactions. However, a report last year revealed that less than 2% of the population was using the wallet for remittance payments, a key feature of the platform.
As the situation unfolds, concerns about cybersecurity and data privacy in the digital currency space continue to grow. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.