Ledger

Address Substitution Attacks Exploit Partial Address Checks in Crypto Wallets

Address poisoning, clipboard hijackers, and supply-chain malware all rely on users verifying only the first and last few characters of long blockchain addresses. Researchers detail real incidents including a May 2024 theft of 1,155 WBTC worth roughly 68 million dollars where an attacker poisoned transaction history after a test transfer. Studies from Carnegie Mellon University show that even security-conscious users miss mismatches in truncated addresses 21 to 38 percent of the time. Existing identicons such as Jazzicon and Blockies can be matched by attackers because they depend on only the first eight hex characters. The team released the open-source Humanized Hash library that renders any address or hash as a 4x4 grid of colored shapes using PBKDF2 stretching, making forgery computationally expensive. Calculations indicate that matching both the visual pattern and edge characters requires tens to millions of GPU-years on current hardware. The library supports multiple languages with identical output and carries an MIT license with a fixed algorithm.

MacSync Malware Evolves to Steal Cryptocurrency and Conceal Components in iCloud

Updated MacSync malware for macOS now arrives bundled with a stealer and backdoor, allowing attackers to harvest browser history, cookies, passwords, Telegram data, and cryptocurrency wallet details while maintaining persistent remote access. Discovered by Kaspersky researchers in September 2026, the new variant uses a multi-stage infection chain that begins with a fake application download, such as a document collaboration tool or crypto wallet. One component is delivered through a publicly shared iCloud calendar entry in ICS format, bypassing traditional loaders. After execution, MacSync requests administrator credentials, displays a fake macOS damage notification, and installs the stealer alongside a Finder-masquerading backdoor. The backdoor enables arbitrary code execution, file theft, browser extension installation, and replacement of the legitimate Ledger application with a malicious version to drain cryptocurrency funds. Users are advised to download software only from trusted sources and remain cautious of unexpected administrator password prompts.