A Bitcoin exchange has confirmed millions of dollars worth of Bitcoins have been stolen from a top mining service.
NiceHash, a Slovenia-based mining exchange, said that the system was breached and over $60 million worth of the cryptocurrency was stolen.
NiceHash is a service where people can come together to “mine” for Bitcoins, which is done through using intense computing power.
“Someone really wanted to bring us down,” said the group.
“The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are cooperating with them as a matter of urgency,”
The attack happened on Wednesday. According to the chief executive, Marko Kobal, the system was breached at 01:18 CET (00:18 GMT). The hackers are believed to be based outside of the EU.
Unconfirmed reports believe that over 4,000 bitcoins were missing, which is valued at over $60 million. As the price of Bitcoin continues to surge, the amount stolen will continue to grow.
Security issues involving the controversial currency are a frequent cause for concern for virtual currency traders.
Other cases of hacking include $31 million worth of a digital currency Tether were stolen its own firm earlier this year.
“A thorough investigation on the cause of the attack is being undertaken to prevent similar actions in the future,” the company said in a statement.
“We appreciate the community’s patience, understanding, and support while we work to rectify the situation,”
JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) boss, Jamie Dinon, has warned against cryptocurrencies due to their links with fraud.
In September, he dismissed the phenomenon as “fraud”, that is only fit for use by drug dealers, murderers and “people living in places such as North Korea”.
the value of the Bitcoin was $1,000 at the beginning of the year but has surged to over $14,100.74, gaining $1,000 in less than a day.