MetaMask, a leading cryptocurrency wallet provider, has recently been accused of being involved in a massive wallet-draining operation that resulted in the loss of over 5,000 ETH, worth more than $10.5 million in crypto and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) since December 2022. However, MetaMask has strongly denied these claims, stating that the exploit was not specific to its wallet.
In response to a series of tweets by Taylor Monahan, the founder of Ethereum wallet manager MyCrypto, MetaMask issued a statement on April 18, saying that recent reporting on Monahan’s thread has incorrectly claimed that a massive wallet-draining operation is a result of a MetaMask exploit. The wallet provider confirmed that the 5,000 ETH was stolen “from various addresses across 11 blockchains,” adding that the claim that funds were hacked from MetaMask “is incorrect.”
MetaMask’s security team is currently researching the source of the exploit and is working with others across the Web3 wallet space. According to an official statement from the company, it is possible that there had been “some sort of private key or seed phrase leak.” There are also numerous independent security researchers who are investigating the incident.
Monahan, in her thread on the exploit, stated that “no one knows how” this massive attack was conducted, but her “best guess” was that a significant amount of old data was obtained and used to extract the funds. She also originally claimed that the attacker was draining long-time MetaMask users and employees by using the wallet. However, she later stated that the exploit is not specific to MetaMask, and “users of all wallets, even those created on a hardware wallet,” have been impacted by the exploit.
MetaMask is known for its strong security features, and the company has taken steps to address the issue. It is essential to note that users should always take precautions when storing their crypto assets in any wallet, as there is always a risk of theft or hacking. It is crucial to keep private keys and seed phrases secure, and to use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
In conclusion, MetaMask denies its involvement in the massive wallet-draining exploit that has impacted many cryptocurrency users across different wallets. The company’s security team is currently working to determine the source of the exploit, and it is essential that all crypto users take necessary security precautions when storing their assets.
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