Hardware Wallet Hack: $282 Million Crypto Stolen in Sophisticated Social-Engineering Attack

A massive cryptocurrency heist has resulted in the loss of approximately $282 million, targeting users of a popular hardware wallet through a sophisticated social-engineering scheme. The attack did not exploit a direct vulnerability in the wallet's firmware but instead tricked users into manually compromising their own security. The perpetrator created a fraudulent version of the wallet's genuine application, distributing it through cleverly disguised phishing methods. Once users were deceived into downloading and installing the malicious software, it prompted them to enter their secret recovery phrases, which were then transmitted directly to the hacker. This breach highlights the critical and persistent threat of social engineering in the crypto space, where human error can be manipulated to bypass even the strongest hardware security. Experts urge users to only download software from official, verified sources and to never enter seed phrases into any application or website.