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포항에 사는 김 모씨는 11월 11일 저녁 10시 30분경 자신의 갤럭시 그랜드 원 스마트 폰을 이용해 비트코인 거래소인 비트코어 웹 사이트에 접속을 시도 했다. 하지만 영어로 된 몇 문장의 오류 메시지만 보일 뿐 접속이 되지 않았다. 김씨는 그 동안 문제 없이 이용하던 사이트가 작동하지 않아 이상하다고 느꼈지만, 비트코인 거래가 이루어지면 자동으로 받게 되는 인증 번호를 수신하지 않았기 때문에 크게 걱정하지 않았다.
그러나 다음날 비트코어 웹 사이트에 다시 접속한 김씨는 자신의 비트코인 15개가 없어진 것을 알게 되었다.
그러나 다음날 비트코어 웹 사이트에 다시 접속한 김씨는 자신의 비트코인 15개가 없어진 것을 알게 되었다.
한 비트코인 관련 온라인 커뮤니티에는 김씨와 같은 날 비트코어에 있던 비트코인을 해킹을 당했다는 이용자의 글도 올라와 있기 때문에 유사한 사례가 더 있을 수도 있다는 우려가 높아지고 있다.
김씨는 코리아헤럴드와의 통화에서 본인의 동의 없이 비트코인 15개가 다른 사람의 전자지갑 주소로 빠져 나가 버렸다며, 비트코인을 다른 전자 지갑으로 옮기려고 하면 자동으로 받게 되는 인증번호도 받지 않았는데 왜 이런일이 일어났는지 모르겠다고 호소 했다.
김씨가 해킹을 당했다고 주장하는 15개의 비트코인의 가치는 현 시가로 620만원 정도.
김씨는 비트코어측에 해킹사실을 알리고 문제 해결을 요구 했지만, 익명으로 운영되는 비트코인전자계좌의 특성상 “경찰의 수사 협조 없이는 IP추적이 불가능,” 하다는 답변만 받았고, 보상은 받지 못했다고 한다. 오히려, 비트코어 측은 김씨에게 허위 사실을 유포할 경우 법적인 조치를 강구할 것이라고 말했다고 한다.
또한 해킹이 의심이 되는 사건이 일어 났지만, 현재 비트코어 측은 회사의 웹사이트에 해킹과 관련된 어떠한 주의사항도 올리지 않고 있어 이용자들의 불안은 높아져 가고 있는 상황이다.
김씨의 사건을 접수한 포항 남부 경찰서 사이버수사대는 다른 사건으로 인해 현재 “수사는 진행되지 않고 있는 상황,”이라는 답변을 내어 놓았다.
사건이 발생한 지 한 달이 다 되어 가지만 경찰은 아직 증거품 제출 등의 조치도 없을 뿐 아니라, 김씨에게 수사 관련 연락도 없었다고 한다.
이에 대해 김씨는, “단순히 개인의 비트코인 분실이 아니라 더 많은 사람들이 유사한 해킹 피해를 입을까 걱정이다,”라고 말했다.
인터넷 보안관련 전문가들은 비트코인에 접근 할 수 있는 키만 있으면 비트코인을 해킹하는 것은 문제가 없다고 한다. 또한 해킹과 관련된 악성코드도 인터넷상에 떠돌아 다니고 있는 것으로 알려졌다. 올해 초 일본의 마운트 곡스 비트코인 거래소는 수십억 달러에 해당하는 해킹 피해로 파산 신청을 했고, 미국의 Input.io사는 1백 2십만 달러 상당의 비트코인을 해킹 당한 바 있다.
(코리아헤럴드 김영원기자 wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
<관련 영문 기사>
Bitcoin hacking arouse security concerns
Cyber currency exchange Bitcore condemned for reckless management
Concerns are rising over the security of the digital currency bitcoin following hacking cases that allegedly took place for the first time in South Korea at local online bitcoin exchange Bitcore.
A man surnamed Kim in the southeastern port city of Pohang filed a complaint with the Pohang Cyber Police Agency on Nov. 14, claiming that 15 of his bitcoins worth around 6.2 million won (base on the value of a bitcoin as of Monday) were stolen by an anonymous person operating from Bitcore on Nov. 11.
Another user of the bitcoin trading website posted comments on an online community forum saying his bitcoins were stolen the same night.
“When I tried to access the mobile site of Bitcore with my smartphone at around 10:30 to 11 p.m., I saw nothing but an error message in English,” Kim told The Korea Herald.
The next day when Kim was able to log in to the website, he found out that his bitcoins had been transferred to another bitcoin trader’s account without his consent.
Traders receive a verification code through their smartphone when they try to sell their bitcoins, but Kim said he had not received any security code for the illicit transaction.
After the incident, Bitcore officials have tried to track down the IP address belonging to the account that received Kim’s bitcoins, but the anonymous nature of the bitcoin system kept them from verifying the owners account details. No compensation has yet been made for the alleged theft cases, nor has an advisory notice for possible hacking attempts been put up on the website, upsetting the users of the online exchange.
The police confirmed that it received Kim’s complaint, but said it had not launched an investigation into the hacking due to other ongoing investigations.
Kim who mostly makes deals via his smartphone, Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Grand One, said he had done nothing unusual with his smartphone nor noticed any suspicious activity on his handset before the digital currency was transferred.
“This case could be just a small individual incident, but there could be other hacking cases on a bigger scale down the road if no action is taken,” Kim said.
He has now placed his remaining bitcoins in different digital wallets at other bitcoin trading agencies such as Kobit, Xcoin and Blockchain.
The volume of bitcoin trading here is not as big as in other global markets, but similar crimes could take place regardless, according to some experts.
It has been reported that some malicious codes targeting Korean bitcoin websites were being distributed online in recent months.
A series of hacking cases overseas indicate that storing bitcoins in digital wallets is not perfectly safe.
In 2013, hackers stole $1.2 million worth of bitcoins from the bitcoin company Input.io in the U.S., and the Japanese exchange Mt Gox went bankrupt after having lost a billion dollar worth of the virtual coins due to alleged hacking.
By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
Bitcoin hacking arouse security concerns
Cyber currency exchange Bitcore condemned for reckless management
Concerns are rising over the security of the digital currency bitcoin following hacking cases that allegedly took place for the first time in South Korea at local online bitcoin exchange Bitcore.
A man surnamed Kim in the southeastern port city of Pohang filed a complaint with the Pohang Cyber Police Agency on Nov. 14, claiming that 15 of his bitcoins worth around 6.2 million won (base on the value of a bitcoin as of Monday) were stolen by an anonymous person operating from Bitcore on Nov. 11.
Another user of the bitcoin trading website posted comments on an online community forum saying his bitcoins were stolen the same night.
“When I tried to access the mobile site of Bitcore with my smartphone at around 10:30 to 11 p.m., I saw nothing but an error message in English,” Kim told The Korea Herald.
The next day when Kim was able to log in to the website, he found out that his bitcoins had been transferred to another bitcoin trader’s account without his consent.
Traders receive a verification code through their smartphone when they try to sell their bitcoins, but Kim said he had not received any security code for the illicit transaction.
After the incident, Bitcore officials have tried to track down the IP address belonging to the account that received Kim’s bitcoins, but the anonymous nature of the bitcoin system kept them from verifying the owners account details. No compensation has yet been made for the alleged theft cases, nor has an advisory notice for possible hacking attempts been put up on the website, upsetting the users of the online exchange.
The police confirmed that it received Kim’s complaint, but said it had not launched an investigation into the hacking due to other ongoing investigations.
Kim who mostly makes deals via his smartphone, Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Grand One, said he had done nothing unusual with his smartphone nor noticed any suspicious activity on his handset before the digital currency was transferred.
“This case could be just a small individual incident, but there could be other hacking cases on a bigger scale down the road if no action is taken,” Kim said.
He has now placed his remaining bitcoins in different digital wallets at other bitcoin trading agencies such as Kobit, Xcoin and Blockchain.
The volume of bitcoin trading here is not as big as in other global markets, but similar crimes could take place regardless, according to some experts.
It has been reported that some malicious codes targeting Korean bitcoin websites were being distributed online in recent months.
A series of hacking cases overseas indicate that storing bitcoins in digital wallets is not perfectly safe.
In 2013, hackers stole $1.2 million worth of bitcoins from the bitcoin company Input.io in the U.S., and the Japanese exchange Mt Gox went bankrupt after having lost a billion dollar worth of the virtual coins due to alleged hacking.
By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
