Rise and shine! As we bid adieu to 2023, let's not forget it wasn't just about TikTok dances and Mars selfies. This year also brought us some digital drama that would make even the best Hollywood thrillers envious. Remember the Pink Drainer's $4.4M Chainlink heist? Or the government's denial of iPhone hacking? And who can forget the crypto world's security breaches that seemed to unfold like clockwork? Buckle up, as we take a rollercoaster ride through the most intriguing stories of the year, all while sipping our morning coffee. 🎢☕

Pink Drainer's Latest Heist: $4.4M in Chainlink

The crypto world is abuzz yet again as the notorious hacking group, Pink Drainer, executed a staggering theft of $4.4 million in Chainlink from just one victim. This latest attack is part of a series of Discord and Twitter hacks linked to Pink Drainer, who have now amassed over $18 million from more than 9,000 victims this year.

In a sophisticated phishing scam, the victim was duped into signing an “Increase Approval” function, resulting in the loss of 275,700 LINK across two transactions within a minute. The stolen funds were quickly converted to Ether and are being laundered through an instant cryptocurrency exchange named eXch.

Blockchain security firm Scam Sniffer has identified numerous Pink Drainer scam sites and notes this as a "typical attack" targeting individuals with substantial assets. Pink Drainer’s scams have also included impersonating crypto journalists and infiltrating several high-profile Twitter accounts.

As of December 19, Dune Analytics reports Pink Drainer's total haul at a staggering $18.7 million from 9,068 victims, highlighting the growing threat of sophisticated cybercrime in the cryptocurrency space.

Apple iPhone Hacking Allegations: Government Denies Involvement

n a recent twist to the saga of alleged state-sponsored hacking of Apple iPhones, MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has categorically refuted claims made by the Washington Post. The report had suggested that prominent opposition leaders and journalists received threat notifications from Apple about potential state-sponsored attacks on their devices.

Chandrasekhar dismissed the story as "half facts" and "fully embellished," emphasizing the need to correct what he calls "terrible storytelling." He pointed to Apple's statement from October 31, which does not attribute the threat notifications to any specific state-sponsored attacker. Apple’s response highlighted the sophistication of such attackers and the imperfect nature of threat intelligence signals, noting that some notifications might be false alarms.

The government's stance, as outlined by Chandrasekhar, has been consistent and clear: it is Apple's responsibility to clarify the vulnerabilities of their devices and the reasons behind these notifications. He also mentioned that an ongoing investigation involves Apple, in collaboration with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

Chandrasekhar's strong rebuttal points to a broader narrative of creative imagination and clickbait in journalism, as he asserts the government's transparency and consistent response to the incident.

2023: A Year of Major Crypto Breaches

2023 has been a tumultuous year for the cryptocurrency industry, marred by a series of high-profile cyber-attacks that have exposed vulnerabilities in even the most established platforms. From compromised private keys to sophisticated database attacks, here's a recap of the year's biggest blockchain breaches:

• Multichain’s $130 Million Heist (July 7): Hackers seized $130 million from Multichain, a cross-chain protocol. The heist was linked to the custody of CEO Zhaojun by Chinese authorities, who confiscated vital devices.

• Euler Finance’s $197 Million Flash Loan Attack (March 13): Nearly $200 million was lost in a flash loan attack on Euler Finance, an Ethereum-based borrowing and lending protocol, highlighting the risks in DeFi systems.

• Mixin Network’s $200 Million Database Attack (September 23): A database attack on Mixin Network led to a staggering loss of $200 million, causing a halt in all transaction services.

• Atomic Wallet’s $100 Million Breach (June 3): Due to security flaws, Atomic Wallet suffered a loss between $35-100 million, raising concerns about wallet security.

• Poloniex Exchange’s $100 Million Loss (December 10): Owned by Justin Sun, Poloniex Exchange was hit by a private key hack, leading to a significant loss in altcoins.

• Heco Bridge and HTX’s $97 Million Exploit (November 22): This dual exploit targeted Heco chain bridge and HTX’s hot wallets, resulting in a loss of $97 million.

These incidents underline the urgent need for heightened security in the crypto sector. As hackers refine their techniques, the industry is responding with strengthened defenses and strategies to prevent future attacks.