FTX Telegram admin claims exchange hacked

Quick Take

  • “All funds seem to be gone,” an admin originally posted on FTX’s official channel, claiming the crypto exchange had been hacked.
  • They also said its applications are malware and its website may download Trojan viruses.

An admin in FTX's official Telegram channel claimed the embattled crypto exchange may have been hacked for all its funds. A message was sent on Friday that stated "FTX has been hacked. All funds seem to be gone." The message has since removed the latter statement while claiming that "some funds were retrieved."

Additionally, the admin claimed the FTX mobile app and website were compromised and could download malware and Trojan viruses onto peoples' devices.

On Twitter, FTX's official account retweeted that there may be "abnormalities with wallet movements related to the consolidation of FTX balances across exchanges — unclear facts as other movements not clear."

FTX US General Counsel Ryne Miller has since explained that both FTX and FTX.US moved all remaining customer funds to cold storage, tweeting: "Following the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings — FTX US and FTX [dot] com initiated precautionary steps to move all digital assets to cold storage." They added that the "process was expedited this evening — to mitigate damage upon observing unauthorized transactions."

This follows news that more than $400 million was drained from FTX accounts to a single wallet address.

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FTX's collapse roiled the crypto world this week, culminating in the firm filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and with the ouster of CEO Sam Bankman-Fried. 

This story is developing.

Update: Added Ryne Miller's information regarding transfers to cold storage.

Update: Specified that the claims came from an admin in FTX's official Telegram channel. Reflected later changes in the Telegram message. Added a retweet from FTX's official Twitter account.


Disclaimer: The former CEO and majority shareholder of The Block has disclosed a series of loans from former FTX and Alameda founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

Mike is a reporter on the crypto ecosystems team who specializes in zero-knowledge proofs and applications. Prior to joining The Block, Mike worked with Circle, Blocknative, and various DeFi protocols on growth and strategy.

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