Ledger Expands Reseller Crackdown Across Southeast Asia Amid Spyware Probe
Ledger asks numerous resellers across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to halt hardware wallet sales as investigations into tampered devices continue.
Ledger Expands Reseller Crackdown Across Southeast Asia Amid Spyware Probe
Ledger asks numerous resellers across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia to halt hardware wallet sales as investigations into tampered devices continue.
Ledger Expands Hardware Wallet Reseller Suspensions
Cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has requested that resellers and distributors in Hong Kong and several countries across Southeast Asia suspend the sale of its devices. According to Protos, this expanded crackdown follows an earlier suspension of the official Malaysian reseller CryptoBilis after devices sold through the vendor were linked to an $86 million crypto hack and found to contain physical spyware.
The broader precautionary suspension now covers vendors in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong. Affected entities listed include LazMall, Shopee, N-Crypt, Tokopedia, Challenger, Metapod, Ishopchangi, Pantrade, Dot Life, JIB, S-iam-BC, Bitkub, GROOV, RTB, CryptoKing, BitcoinVN, Digibit, Fortress, HKTVMALL, CK Artisans, OOOSH, and Crypto HK. Furthermore, European reseller MediaMarkt also paused sales of the manufacturer's products.
Investigation Into Tampered Devices and Supply Chain
The widening reseller audit forms a core part of Ledger's ongoing investigation to determine where the supply chain breach occurred and who holds responsibility. Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès has assisted in identifying physical spyware inside dismantled wallets shared by users on social media. Findings indicate that certain implants were capable of recording a wallet's 24-word recovery phrase and transmitting the data via an attached eSIM or manual coil antenna.
When questioned regarding the ongoing probe, Ledger redirected inquiries to a recent statement on X, noting that it is a sensitive investigation and that further communications will follow once more information is available. Meanwhile, rival hardware wallet manufacturer Trezor has also opted to reduce its authorized reseller network out of caution, though the company emphasized there is no evidence that Trezor devices have been compromised.
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