Early this morning Beijing time, Ledger asked distributors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to pull all hardware wallets from sale. Anyone using a cold wallet to store $BTC should check where they bought their device.
Bitcoin is an asset many people plan to hold for a long time. A hardware wallet keeps private keys on an offline device, away from the internet.
The recall covers seven regions: Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Even units already on store shelves must be removed.
Ledger also clarified that, so far, confirmed theft cases have been limited to Southeast Asia. No problems have been found with devices bought elsewhere, and there is currently no sign that its own systems or official online store have been compromised.
An earlier investigation update described the method in detail: someone added a small extra circuit board inside the casing, designed to read the screen. During initial setup, the screen displays the recovery phrase. The board recognizes and extracts the words, then sends them out over a built-in mobile network.
The troubling part is that this component does not alter the secure chip or the system, nor does it interfere with transaction signing. The layer that hardware wallets take the most pride in was never breached. The problem arose in the supply chain before the device reached the buyer.
Ledger’s advice: If you bought your device from an affected distributor and haven’t set it up yet, don’t turn it on. If you’re already using one, switch to a new device, create a new recovery phrase, and transfer your assets to it.
Bitcoin is an asset many people plan to hold for a long time. A hardware wallet keeps private keys on an offline device, away from the internet.
The recall covers seven regions: Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. Even units already on store shelves must be removed.
Ledger also clarified that, so far, confirmed theft cases have been limited to Southeast Asia. No problems have been found with devices bought elsewhere, and there is currently no sign that its own systems or official online store have been compromised.
An earlier investigation update described the method in detail: someone added a small extra circuit board inside the casing, designed to read the screen. During initial setup, the screen displays the recovery phrase. The board recognizes and extracts the words, then sends them out over a built-in mobile network.
The troubling part is that this component does not alter the secure chip or the system, nor does it interfere with transaction signing. The layer that hardware wallets take the most pride in was never breached. The problem arose in the supply chain before the device reached the buyer.
Ledger’s advice: If you bought your device from an affected distributor and haven’t set it up yet, don’t turn it on. If you’re already using one, switch to a new device, create a new recovery phrase, and transfer your assets to it.