C.Z. dropped one screenshot on Twitter yesterday, posting a Google alert indicating that government-backed hackers might try to access his account. His response? Pretty cool actually. He asked if anyone knew what it was and pointed to the North Korean group Lazarus as a possible culprit.
The old Binance The boss said he gets these warnings from time to time, but doesn’t really care about them since he doesn’t store anything critical on that particular account. Easy for him to say when you’re worth $60 billion and basically crypto royalties.
Lazarus This has been completely destroying crypto companies for years now. They pulled off the Bybit hack and hit WazirX and Lykke hard, and security officials believe the money they stole represents about 13% of North Korea’s total economy. This shows how desperate they are to finance their arms programs while they are subject to heavy sanctions.
Google’s security team essentially said these alerts were simply the result of increased caution. They don’t say that your account was definitely hacked, but rather: “Hey, we noticed something weird; maybe be careful.” It’s their version of prevention being better than cure.
Even though CZ has stepped down from running Binance, he still wields considerable influence in the crypto space. This makes it ideal bait for hackers wanting to obtain inside information or attempting to carry out social engineering scams.
Conclusion
CZ’s cool response may show confidence, but it also reveals how constant the risk of hacking has become in the high-stakes world of crypto.
Read also: Bitcoin falls
