Hackers exposed more information about El Salvador’s state-run Bitcoin wallet, Chivo, on April 23 after publicly leaking the personal data of its millions of users earlier this month. Hacker group CiberInteligenciaSV released part of the software wallet’s source code on a black hat hacking forum. The leaked information included the personal details of 5.1 million Salvadorans who had downloaded the wallet, including their full name, unique identifying number, date of birth, address, and an HD picture of their face. The group also published VPN access that belongs to Chivo Wallet, for free, on their Telegram channel, warning of an incoming Chivo source code data leak. The government of El Salvador has not released an official statement regarding either of this month’s hacks.
El Salvador initially released Chivo in September 2021, alongside its official implementation of Bitcoin as legal tender. The law meant that Bitcoin could be used as official currency, including for tax payments, alongside the US dollar, without realizing a capital gains tax when that Bitcoin is sold or traded. The rollout of Chivo began with software bugs and technical glitches, preventing some users from receiving a promised free $30 for downloading the wallet and causing issues with withdrawing money from Chivo ATMs. The Salvadoran government planned to install lightning network technology at over 100 Chivo ATMs to be installed in Q4 2024, allowing for faster and lower fee cryptocurrency transactions.
The hacker group CiberInteligenciaSV released over 144 GB of data containing the personal information of Chivo Wallet users in El Salvador. The leaked information included each user’s full name, unique identifying number, date of birth, address, and an HD picture of their face. Additionally, the group published part of the source code and VPN access that belongs to Chivo Wallet on their Telegram channel. Despite the leaks, the government of El Salvador has not issued an official statement regarding the breaches. Chivo was introduced in September 2021 alongside the official implementation of Bitcoin as legal tender in the country, with plans to allow lightning network technology at Chivo ATMs to facilitate faster and lower fee cryptocurrency transactions.
Late last year, the Salvadoran government announced plans to install lightning network technology at over 100 Chivo ATMs across the country, which can facilitate faster and lower fee cryptocurrency transactions. Despite the government’s efforts to improve the functionality of Chivo Wallet, issues with software bugs and technical glitches persisted, preventing some users from receiving promised incentives and causing difficulties with withdrawals from the ATMs. A Salvadoran newspaper reported that less than 2% of the population was using the wallet for remittance payments, which was one of its intended primary uses. The government has not made any official statements about the recent security breaches involving Chivo Wallet and the leaked personal information of its users.
The leaked information about Chivo Wallet users included their full names, unique identifying numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and HD pictures of their faces. The hacker group CiberInteligenciaSV released this data on a black hat hacking forum and their Telegram channel, along with part of the software wallet’s source code and VPN access. The Salvadoran government has not publicly addressed the breaches as of yet, leaving the affected users vulnerable to potential identity theft and other malicious activities. Despite the challenges faced during the rollout of Chivo Wallet, the government had plans to enhance its functionality by implementing lightning network technology at ATMs to improve transaction speeds and reduce fees.
