Ledger supply chain attack suspected to have spread to Europe, users say hardware implants found in devices from official distributors

PANews October 11 news: According to Bitcoin News, security researcher Johannes disclosed that a hardware wallet purchased by a user from an official Ledger distributor in Europe was found weeks after purchase to contain an unauthorized hardware implant inside. It is alleged that suspicious wiring not present in normal Ledger hardware appeared inside the device, indicating that the device may have been physically tampered with before sale. The researcher said the implant appears to use an earlier design, while newer implant components may be hidden behind the screen, making detection more difficult.

It is worth noting that no theft of funds has occurred from the device so far, and the researcher said it is still unclear whether the implant is malfunctioning or whether the attacker is still waiting for more user devices to be compromised.

Previously, the CryptoBilis Ledger incident had already raised concerns about hardware wallet supply chain security. As suspected related cases have gradually appeared in Asia, South America, and Europe, market concerns about the scope of impact of this supply chain attack have further intensified. In addition, the researcher pointed out that Ledger's official software Genuine Check is mainly used to verify device authenticity and may be unable to detect unauthorized physical hardware modifications if the original Secure Element has not been compromised.