Bitcoin account data and balances have been displayed on Mt.Gox founder Mark Karpeles’ blog following demise of Japanese virtual currency exchange
As though events surrounding the $64 million demise of Bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox were not complex and costly enough, a further twist took place this weekend when an imposter gained access to Mt.Gox founder Mark Karpeles’ blog and uploaded a comprehensive list of data which includes customer account balances as well as information relating to customers themselves.
The data which according to many users with Mt.Gox accounts, has been deemed accurate as a result of research carried out by a series of technology news portals during the course of the last 24 hours, and is alleged to have been created via Reddit, whereby a user can create a mirror of encrypted user accounts with balances displayed, therefore enabling many users to find their balances listed within, and displayed on the public domain.
The hacker, who has kept his own identity completely anonymous, does not purport to be French-born Mr. Karpeles, but instead uses colorful language to ensure that those reading the balances are aware that this information was indeed an imposter rather than the founder of the ill-fated Bitcoin exchange himself.
Shortly after making that crystal clear, the imposter goes on to explain his purpose by stating that “Whilst there has been some degree of substantiation according to some sources, there is still a remaining ambiguity as to the authenticity of the leak in its entirety, as well as potential defects in executable files. The zip file from which the information was extracted contains, according to one statement on the blog post by the hacker “database dumps, csv exports, specialized tools, and some highlighted summaries compiled from data.”
“It’s time that Mt.Goxgot the bitcoin communities wrath instead of Bitcoin Community getting Goxed. This release would have been sooner, but in spirit of responsible disclosure and making sure all of ducks were in a row, it took a few days longer than would have liked to verify the data.”
As in the true spirit of a peer-to-peer currency, it appears that the demise of this particular exchange and the ensuing potential loss to customers is being handled in a community orientated fashion, following Mr. Karpeles’ resignation from the board at Bitcoin Foundation on February 23 this year, and the subsequent removal of Mt.Gox from the web just one day later.
Mt.Gox filed for bankruptcy protection in Tokyo, Japan on February 28, following the loss of 744,408 Bitcoins due to theft which had thus far gone undetected, rendering the exchange insolvent. It is estimated that a substantial number of its users have not been successful in reclaiming their funds.
LeapRate will endeavor to investigate the implications of this matter further as it develops.
For more on the global Forex industry see the LeapRate-Dow Jones Forex Industry Report.