India’s top crypto exchange, CoinDCX, just got hit by a $44 million internal heist—and the plot reads like a cyber-thriller. No user funds were touched, but the company’s operational wallet was drained in mid-July, all starting with a deceptively simple WhatsApp message.
📲 A fake job offer tricked a CoinDCX engineer into installing malware on his work laptop. That opened the door for hackers to quietly siphon funds into six separate crypto wallets.
👨💻 The engineer, Rahul Agarwal, is now under investigation after ₹15 lakh surfaced in his personal bank account. While he denies involvement, authorities are probing potential insider collusion.
🕵️♂️ Even more alarming? Signs point to North Korea–linked actors, with tactics resembling the Lazarus Group’s signature moves.
🔍 CoinDCX is fighting back—offering an $11 million bounty to recover the stolen assets and working closely with law enforcement. The platform assures users their funds remain untouched.
🧠 Key Lessons from the Breach:
Social engineering is still crypto’s greatest vulnerability.
Even internal trust can be exploited.
Ironclad device security and credential hygiene are critical.
No role is immune—vigilance starts at the top.
The crypto world doesn’t just need decentralization—it needs defense.