Innovative Code for Chivo Bitcoin Wallet Revealed
El Salvador’s government-controlled Bitcoin wallet is caught up in a second incident of data breach as hackers have released another set of sensitive information. On April 23, unidentified individuals known as CiberInteligenciaSV leaked some of Chivo’s source code and VPN credentials for the state-operated Bitcoin ATMs in El Salvador. This information was made public on BreachForums, a platform used by criminals and malicious hackers.
Digital security startup VenariX had forewarned the citizens and the wider crypto community about an upcoming leak of Chivo’s data a day before the incident occurred. According to this local initiative, CiberInteligenciaSV had hinted about the upcoming BreachForums post on its Telegram Channel. The cybercriminal organization even appeared to invite government officials to engage in negotiations.
Chivo, the official Bitcoin storage solution provided by the government of El Salvador, has faced a series of issues and setbacks. Chivo became a national tool after President Nayib Bukele officially adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021, making El Salvador the first country to do so worldwide. Salvadorans can use Chivo to buy or sell Bitcoin, as well as withdraw cryptocurrency from BTC ATMs across the country. However, users have reported problems with the wallet, including slow execution, app crashes, and other bugs.
To address these technical glitches, the government partnered with U.S. white-label software firm AlphaPoint, as reported by crypto.news in 2022. Earlier this month, matters escalated when the personal information of around five million Salvadorans was exposed online. This 144GB leak was obtained from a former national security advisor called Alejandro Muyshondt, according to DataBreaches. The hackers apparently accessed the files from a cloud backup.
Initially, the source of the leak was unclear and was mistaken for a vaccination database due to the inclusion of details such as full names, dates of birth, individual profile photos, and addresses. However, experts later connected the leaked files to Chivo’s registration requirements. The administration of President Bukele has not made any comments or issued any statements regarding this incident.
In other news, El Salvador has transferred $386 million worth of Bitcoin into cold storage.
