WazirX laptops not compromised in $230 million hack, says Google subsidiary; Liminal questions audit

Cryptocurrency exchange WazirX said on August 19 that its laptops were not compromised in the recent cyberattack, which resulted in the theft of digital assets exceeding $230 million (Rs 2,000 crores) from one of their Multisig wallets.

To investigate the breach, WazirX engaged Mandiant Solutions, a Google subsidiary, to conduct a forensic analysis. Mandiant's report, submitted on August 14, stated, “We did not identify evidence of compromise on the three laptops that were used for signing transactions.” The detailed report is still pending, and WazirX has indicated that the preliminary findings suggest the issue may have originated from Liminal.

Multisig wallets, which require multiple private keys to access and move funds, were involved in the breach. The incident resulted in WazirX losing nearly 45% of its holding assets. The hacked wallet had six signatories—five from WazirX and one from Liminal Custody.


In response to the investigation, Liminal Custody stated, “We cannot comment on the statement put out by WazirX due to the lack of any information on the scope and methodology of the audit they conducted. However, if one were to go by the information they’ve shared, it raises serious questions about the security of their network infrastructure, operational custody controls, and overall security posture, given that they were the custodians for 5 of the 6 keys.”

Liminal further noted, “Our preliminary audit reports categorically indicate no breach in our front-end or UI. We have engaged multiple reputable independent auditors to conduct forensic analysis, with detailed reports expected within this week. We are confident that Liminal’s front-end and UI were not compromised, and the findings will be shared as soon as they are available.”

Liminal added, “It is unfortunate that this situation is being framed as a Liminal vs. WazirX social media battle while many users continue to suffer. In the interest of absolute transparency, we are open to empanelling additional auditors, including Mandiant, to conduct the UI audit as well.”