Ledger users lose millions of dollars because spy chips are found in wallets

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硬件植入物事件概述

Ledger 于10月10日确认，一名受影响客户的设备内部存在未经授权的硬件植入物。这一发现是在该公司对通过 CryptoBilis（东南亚的一家被其列为授权经销商的转售商）购买的钱包中资金消失的事件展开调查一天后公布的。Ledger 表示，目前没有迹象表明其自身的基础设施或服务遭到破坏，这表明攻击发生在从工厂到买家的物理供应链环节。

独立损失估计目前尚未得到 Ledger 的验证。区块链分析公司 Bitquery 指出，链上损失约为 9,290 万美元，涉及 311 个钱包，但该数字仍需 Ledger 核实。

隐蔽的数据传输机制

Tibane Labs 发表的研究描述了经过修改的 Ledger Nano X 设备，其内部为显示屏供电的线路上增加了额外的电路。当新用户设置钱包时，合法的加密安全元件会生成助记词并将每个单词发送到屏幕，而植入物会从显示数据中重建这些单词，随后通过配备 eSIM 和定制天线的蜂窝调制解调器将助记词发送给攻击者。

This attack does not require cracking the chip, guessing the PIN code, or tricking the owner into signing anything. Because people with mnemonic words can rebuild their wallets on another device and wait for the funds to be deposited. Tibane Labs documented three generations of the hardware: the earliest generation used visible wires and smaller replacement batteries; subsequent models moved to dedicated flexible circuit boards; and the latest generation retained the original battery and hid the implant below the screen. The laboratory purchased the samples through Japanese market channels and said no direct link between the samples and CryptoBilis had been established, and Ledger had not said whether each reported victim received the same design of equipment.

Timeline and Evidence Confirmation

August 2025: Reddit users warn of suspicious Nano X devices found.
May 2026: Hardware researcher Joe Grand demonstrated a reverse-engineered implantable wallet.
September 2026: Tibane Labs acquired two more modified devices through the Japanese market channel.
October 9, 2026: Ledger opened an investigation and asked CryptoBilis to stop sales and shipments.
October 10, 2026: Ledger confirms that there is an unauthorized implant in the customer's equipment.

Limitations of official verification

Ledger 的安全文档指出，“正版检查”用于验证安全元件的真实性，但同时也承认，如果原始芯片未被替换，该测试未必能识别出物理层面的修改。因此，一个钱包可能在电子层面是真实的，但内部却藏有第二套恶意电路。从授权经销商处购买并不能完全消除这一风险。

保护措施它能确立什么能否检测出植入物正版检查安全元件是合法的 Ledger 芯片否安全元件私钥在芯片内受到保护否供应链完整性交付前无人篡改设备无内置测试

CryptoBilis 本身也留下了未解之谜。CryptoBilis 联合创始人 Arravind Prabu 和 Vimalatheethan 向 Tibane Labs 透露，该公司今年早些时候被新东家收购，运营交接已于 2026 年 3 月结束，他们目前已无法访问内部系统或客户记录。目前尚无公开证据将新东家与植入物联系起来。

资金流向与损失评估

Bitquery 追踪被盗资金跨越 TRON、Bitcoin、Ethereum、BNB Chain 和 Polygon 等多个网络，交易模式表明有一名参与者持有助记词储备。在 TRON 网络上，约两周的小额测试转账后，25 个钱包在短短三秒内被清空。超过 80% 的受害钱包自 2026 年 6 月起收到首次存款，这暗示了受篡改设备的流通时间，尽管资金注入日期并不等同于购买日期。

部分资金已难以追回。Bitquery 追踪到 1,254 枚 ETH 在 10 月 9 日被转入混币协议 Tornado Cash，而 Tether 冻结了涉嫌攻击者钱包中约 1,000 万美元的 USDT，此举阻止了资金流动但未将其返还给受害者。其他独立估计的总损失范围在 8,600 万至 9,400 万美元之间。X 平台上流传的一段拆解视频展示了带有额外电路的设备，但其声称“该经销商发出的所有钱包均被修改”的说法并未得到 Ledger 或调查人员的证实。

用户防护建议

Ledger 建议通过 CryptoBilis 购买的用户保持未初始化的设备原封不动；已经设置过的用户应将资产转移到使用全新助记词且在可信硬件上创建的钱包中。如果助记词已被传输，重置可疑设备或在其他地方恢复旧助记词均无济于事。受影响用户还应警惕非索求的“助记词恢复”服务，任何合法的支持人员都不会索要助记词。

CryptoBilis has stopped selling hardware wallets, and Ledger said it is contacting affected customers, cooperating with authorities, and developing additional tamper-proof measures. Open questions that still exist include: How much modified equipment is still in circulation? At what stage of distribution are the implants installed? When authorized channels deliver tampered hardware, who will compensate buyers?

Background and comparison

This is the second time in two months that the screen has become a security weakness. On August 27, Ledger issued three security bulletins, one involving a Secure SDK vulnerability that allowed a malicious host to change transaction parameters after they were displayed on the screen; the other two involving errors in the Ethereum app, which were fixed in version 1.22.3, including a vulnerability that displayed a single operation but signed to authorize 257 operations. Ledger reported that there was no evidence that the three vulnerabilities were exploited, and the October incident was accompanied by reported losses and that there were no software patches that could remove physical components.