Reports have emerged of unauthorized login attempts on Mt. Gox accounts as creditors begin to receive their bitcoin (BTC) repayments. According to several Reddit users, there have been multiple failed login attempts on their accounts as of Thursday, raising concerns about the security of the Mt. Gox claims portal.
Numerous Login Attempts Reported
One Reddit user, ovkovk, shared their experience on the r/mtgoxinsolvency forum, stating, “Just received 15 notifications for account log in. Now can’t get into my account. Is Mt. Gox under attack???” This user reported receiving 22 login attempt notifications, indicating a persistent effort by someone to gain access to their account. Fortunately, the current system does not allow changes to payee information, providing some level of security despite the ongoing login attempts.
Over fifteen other users have reported similar issues, suggesting that an unknown individual or group is systematically trying to access multiple Mt. Gox accounts. The objective seems to be gaining control of these accounts, likely to withdraw any BTC received through the repayment process.
Mt. Gox Claims Portal Temporarily Down
In response to these security concerns, the Mt. Gox claims portal has been taken offline for maintenance as of Thursday morning in Asia. User u/Joohansson noted that such attempts have occurred in the past, and accounts protected with two-factor authentication (2FA) are presumably secure from these unauthorized access attempts. “I would guess some attacker has a record of all (or a whole lot of) gox emails and trying to brute force their way in. It has happened before. As long as you have a 2FA you should ‘hopefully’ be fine,” they commented.
The renewed interest in Mt. Gox accounts comes after the defunct crypto exchange began repaying creditors in early July. The repayments are part of a long-awaited process following a significant hack in 2014, which resulted in the loss of vast amounts of bitcoin. Over the next few months, more than $9 billion worth of BTC and $73 million in bitcoin cash (BCH) will be distributed to affected traders.
As the repayment process continues, creditors are advised to secure their accounts with 2FA and remain vigilant for any suspicious activity. The ongoing unauthorized login attempts highlight the importance of robust security measures in protecting valuable digital assets.