More damaging information is emerging regarding the state Bitcoin wallet in El Salvador, known as Chivo, indicating a troubling situation unfolding. Recently, members of the hacker collective CiberInteligenciaSV leaked part of the source code on a black-hat hacking criminal forum breachForums on April 23.
The Bitcoin Chivo Wallet ATMs in El Salvador, issued by the government, have come under scrutiny by the hacker group CiberInteligenciaSV. It is important to note that the group does not engage in selling any information, as everything is shared for free.
The Chivo breach has been a series of concerning events, with the latest being the leak of personal information of 5.1 million Salvadorans in early April, affecting nearly all adults in the country. The local cybersecurity project VenariX announced on April 22 the impending disclosure of the source code on CiberInteligenciaSV’s Telegram channel.
As per a Telegram post by CiberInteligenciaSV, they will be releasing part of the Chivo Wallet source code and VPN access for free, as well as offering to engage in dialogue with any government official interested. Additionally, a file named Codigo.rar has been shared, containing codes and VPN credentials from Moreno’s Chivo Wallet ATM network.
The government of El Salvador promoted Chivo as the official Bitcoin wallet for residents after the country adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in September 2021. The platform allows users to store and withdraw funds from ATMs, conduct Bitcoin transactions, and more. However, users have reported numerous bugs and technical issues with the Chivo wallet, leading to a problematic launch.
Despite the breach of personal data and technical challenges faced by users, the Salvadoran government has not made any official statements addressing the Chivo breach. This lack of response has left many in the industry questioning the government’s handling of the situation and the overall security of the Chivo platform.
