🔐 Security alert: « tampered » Ledgers stole recovery phrases… without touching the software.
📌 The facts (Ledger Donjon, Oct. 13, 2026)
• Devices sold by CryptoBilis, a Southeast Asian reseller, contained a chip hidden inside the casing
• During setup, it read the 24 words displayed on the screen and sent them to hackers over the mobile network (LTE, eSIM)
• The secure chip and Ledger software were untouched: this was a supply-chain attack, not a Ledger hack
• All confirmed losses came from CryptoBilis devices; Ledger has not confirmed the amount. An on-chain investigator estimates +86 M$ in suspicious thefts (a figure not verified by Ledger)
• Oct. 14: Ledger suspends sales through its distributors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong; MediaMarkt removes the products; Trezor reduces its reseller network
🧠 How it works
A hardware wallet protects your keys… provided the device is authentic. The 24-word phrase is the key to your house: whoever sees it can empty your wallet from anywhere. And the “Genuine Check” does not detect a chip added alongside the original one.
⚖️ The nuance
This doesn’t mean “hardware wallets are useless.” The weak link is where the device comes from. Buying directly from the manufacturer or an official reseller = much lower risk.
👤 Salif, a phone repairer in Ouagadougou, wanted to order a “cheaper” wallet from a marketplace, to be delivered by a cousin. With 30,000 FCFA in savings in USDT, he realizes the real priority is: never show your 24 words to anyone—not an app, and not “support” on WhatsApp.
✅ If you have a device from a questionable reseller: don’t set it up; contact official support. Already used it? Transfer your funds to a new device with a NEW phrase.
And you, where did you buy your wallet? 👇
Not financial advice. DYOR.
Sources: Ledger (X, Oct. 13), CoinDesk, Decrypt, BleepingComputer.
#Crypto #Sécurité #Afrique
📌 The facts (Ledger Donjon, Oct. 13, 2026)
• Devices sold by CryptoBilis, a Southeast Asian reseller, contained a chip hidden inside the casing
• During setup, it read the 24 words displayed on the screen and sent them to hackers over the mobile network (LTE, eSIM)
• The secure chip and Ledger software were untouched: this was a supply-chain attack, not a Ledger hack
• All confirmed losses came from CryptoBilis devices; Ledger has not confirmed the amount. An on-chain investigator estimates +86 M$ in suspicious thefts (a figure not verified by Ledger)
• Oct. 14: Ledger suspends sales through its distributors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong; MediaMarkt removes the products; Trezor reduces its reseller network
🧠 How it works
A hardware wallet protects your keys… provided the device is authentic. The 24-word phrase is the key to your house: whoever sees it can empty your wallet from anywhere. And the “Genuine Check” does not detect a chip added alongside the original one.
⚖️ The nuance
This doesn’t mean “hardware wallets are useless.” The weak link is where the device comes from. Buying directly from the manufacturer or an official reseller = much lower risk.
👤 Salif, a phone repairer in Ouagadougou, wanted to order a “cheaper” wallet from a marketplace, to be delivered by a cousin. With 30,000 FCFA in savings in USDT, he realizes the real priority is: never show your 24 words to anyone—not an app, and not “support” on WhatsApp.
✅ If you have a device from a questionable reseller: don’t set it up; contact official support. Already used it? Transfer your funds to a new device with a NEW phrase.
And you, where did you buy your wallet? 👇
Not financial advice. DYOR.
Sources: Ledger (X, Oct. 13), CoinDesk, Decrypt, BleepingComputer.
#Crypto #Sécurité #Afrique