Hacking Archives - Coin Engineer

What is 4 (FOUR)?

Emre Yumlu — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:28:01 +0000

One of the most attention-grabbing trends in the crypto ecosystem in recent years is meme coins. These projects often stand out more for their community strength and humorous approaches than for technical infrastructure. One of the newest examples of this trend is $4 (FOUR), which emerged on the BNB Chain.

What is 4 (FOUR)?

Introducing itself as “BNB’s most memeable meme coin,” $FOUR quickly attracted interest. The project’s motto supports this:

$FOUR means no FUD.
$FOUR means $4 billion.
$FOUR means for everyone and everything.
$FOUR, Make BNB Great Again!

These slogans indicate that the project operates with a community- and humor-focused perspective rather than a serious technical vision.

How Did 4 (FOUR) Emerge?

$FOUR’s story has an unusual beginning. The project came into the spotlight following a security breach of the BNB Chain’s official social media account. The hack led to phishing links being posted, causing user losses.

According to the BNB Chain team’s statement:

The attacks resulted in a total loss of $8,000 across all chains.
The largest loss was from a single user at $6,500.
The attacker deployed a phishing contract. Initially injecting $17,800, he sold all his meme tokens for $22,000.

Following the incident, the team announced that victims would be fully compensated. They also emphasized that security measures would be enhanced and efforts to prevent similar attacks would continue.

The Community’s Unexpected Move

What sets $4 apart from other meme coins is the community’s response immediately after the hack. After the attacker sold all his tokens for a mere $4,000 profit, users essentially took ownership of the project.

The community repurchased the tokens at higher levels, turning the attack into an ironic launch. This response made $FOUR a meme in its own right.

Binance founder CZ also highlighted this development, describing the community’s comeback as “one of the funniest.”

“Interestingly, after the hacker dumped all his tokens for a $4k gain, the community took over and bought the meme coin higher, as a mock to the hacker. Funniest comeback by the community!”

What Does 4 (FOUR) Represent?

While $4 doesn’t offer a complex technical vision, it once again proves the power of community impact in the crypto ecosystem. The project demonstrates how users can turn a negative event into a positive story.

In the meme coin market, it shows that investors value not just profits but also irony, entertainment, and community spirit. $4’s story is a striking example for “meme coin culture.”

Born from a security breach, $FOUR was quickly embraced by the community and carved out its own place in the BNB Chain ecosystem. Its story and the community’s strong response make it unique.

$FOUR is more than a simple meme coin—it’s a symbol that highlights the resilience and humor of crypto communities. Therefore, $4 is likely to be remembered not just as a token but as an intriguing tale in crypto culture.

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Cyber Strike on LockBit Gang: 60K Bitcoin Addresses Exposed

Yeliz Akmaca — Thu, 08 May 2025 15:00:04 +0000

The LockBit ransomware gang, one of the most dangerous groups in the cybercrime world, was shaken today by an attack on its own system. Approximately 60,000 Bitcoin addresses were leaked. This incident presents a significant opportunity for cybersecurity experts and law enforcement. The hack of the gang’s dark web panel exposed its vulnerabilities. Additionally, it is suggested that the leak may be linked to the Everest gang.

Major Blow to LockBit

LockBit targets companies and individuals with ransomware. This time, the gang itself was hacked. Its dark web panel was exposed, and 59,975 Bitcoin addresses along with victim negotiations were leaked. Furthermore, this data provides clues for tracking the gang’s money flow.

Among the victims targeted by the group are Boeing, Royal Mail UK, ICBC, and Capital Health. The gang allows affiliates to use LockBit’s tools to carry out attacks and share the ransom with the developers. According to Chainalysis reports, Russia-linked gangs (e.g., Evil Corp) earned over $400 million in cryptocurrency from ransomware in 2021. Crypto firms, particularly decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms or small exchanges, are vulnerable to such attacks.

The panel displays the message: “Don’t commit crimes, crime is bad, R from Prague xoxo,” along with a link to download the “paneldb_dump.zip” file.

The leaked data includes Bitcoin wallet addresses and ransom negotiations. LockBit’s leader, “LockBitSupp,” claimed that the private keys are secure. However, experts are skeptical of this claim. On the other hand, the leaked information will make it easier for law enforcement to track the gang. The Bitcoin addresses put the gang’s revenue at risk.

Cybersecurity Warning

This incident revealed that cybercrime gangs are also vulnerable. Experts urge companies to protect themselves against ransomware. The leaked Bitcoin addresses could enhance cryptocurrency tracking. This situation underscores the importance of cybersecurity measures.

The attack on LockBit is said to potentially reshape the cybercrime world. The leaked data puts the gang’s affiliates in a difficult position. Law enforcement and experts may be able to dismantle the gang by analyzing this information. Cybersecurity experts believe such incidents could foster greater collaboration.

Lastly, it should be noted that more work is needed for security in the digital world.

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Gate.io Rejected Hack Rumors, Leading to GateToken Reaching ATH!

Emre Yumlu — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 22:30:12 +0000

Gate.io stated that it continues to operate fully with the assurance of $10 billion in reserves against unfounded hacking claims.

GateToken, the native cryptocurrency of the Gate.io exchange, reached a new all-time high despite rumors of a security breach circulating on social media platforms. According to CryptoSlate data, the token rise to $13.79.

This increase came after the exchange swiftly dismissed the hacking claims.

As the exchange’s utility token, it offers benefits such as trading fee discounts, governance participation, and access to token sales within its ecosystem.

Hacking Rumors

In a post on December 13, Gate.io confirmed that all services, including deposits, withdrawals, and trading, remain fully operational.

The company stated:

“The Gate.io security team has not detected any abnormalities, nor have any security agencies reported issues. Deposits, withdrawals, and trading are functioning normally. Please do not believe rumors!”

Similarly, Gate.io’s Chief Business Officer, Kevin Lee, reassured users that the platform is secure and supported by reserves exceeding $10 billion.

Lee revealed plans to host a live session on X to directly address the misinformation. He emphasized the platform’s strong security infrastructure and its commitment to transparency in operations.

The rumors began earlier today when several crypto influencers with large followings on the social media platform X started circulating news of an exploit (breach) on the exchange.

One such account, NaniXBT, admitted to spreading the information without verification. In his post, he mentioned that the claim was based on unverified input from an acquaintance and was shared impulsively in group chats.

However, Lee dismissed the rumor as an attempt to spread fear and promised to counter it with evidence during an X Spaces session later today.

According to CoinMarketCap, Gate.io ranks among the top 20 crypto exchanges globally. In just the last 24 hours, the platform facilitated nearly $7 billion in trading volume and listed over 3,100 tokens.

It’s user base exceeds 19 million, holding assets worth $6.2 billion on the exchange.

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Early Bitcoin Investor Jailed for Unreported Crypto Gains!

Yigit Taha OZTURK — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 22:00:10 +0000

An early Bitcoin investor from Austin, Texas, Frank Richard Ahlgren III, became the first person criminally charged for failing to report crypto capital gains, involving approximately $4 million worth of cryptocurrencies.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Ahlgren “falsely underreported the realized capital gains” from selling Bitcoin worth $3.7 million between 2017 and 2019. The DOJ stated on December 12 that “all taxpayers are required to report any sale proceeds and gains or losses from the sale of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, on a tax return.”

Ahlgren, who had invested in Bitcoin since 2011, bought 1,366 BTC on Coinbase in 2015 when Bitcoin was priced under $500. He later sold about 640 BTC in October 2017 at an average price of $5,807.53 and reinvested the $3.7 million in real estate. Authorities discovered discrepancies in his 2017 federal income tax return, where Ahlgren inflated the cost basis of his Bitcoin holdings, thus underreporting his true capital gain.

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Additionally, Ahlgren failed to report more than $650,000 in Bitcoin sales in 2018 and 2019. The DOJ indicated that he attempted to hide the movement of his funds using wallet transfers, crypto mixers, and cash transactions. Notably, in May 2014, Ahlgren had blogged about using mixers for Bitcoin transactions.

The criminal tax evasion case culminated in a two-year prison sentence for Ahlgren, making it the first criminal tax evasion prosecution focused solely on cryptocurrency. The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Houston Field Office stated that Ahlgren’s belief that his crypto transactions were untraceable led to his conviction.

In addition to the prison sentence, Ahlgren was ordered to pay $1.1 million in restitution to the U.S. government and serve one year of supervised release.

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