Bitfinex exchange attempts to communicate with hacker
US digital currency exchange, Bitfinex, which was hacked to the tune of around $60m in August, has attempted to make contact with the hacker. In a blog post, CFO Giancarlo Devasini, has reached out to the culprit in an attempt to "establish a line of communication", rather than "accuse, blame or make demands". Devanisi provided a dedicated e-mail address and PGP key for the hacker, as well as alternative means of contact via bitmessage or the OP_RETURN blockchain.

Bitfinex reaches out to the hacker who triggered the last great bitcoin price collapse.

“We would like to have the opportunity to securely communicate with you. It might be possible to reach a mutually agreeable arrangement in exchange for an enormous bug bounty (payable through a more privacy-centric and anonymous way),” writes CFO Giancarlo Devasini in Bitfinex blog post today.

The Bitfinex hack on August 2 was the most recent in a long list of Bitcoin and digital currency exchanges which have fallen victims to hackers.

Devasini explains that Bitfinex has dedicated an email address (“[email protected]”) and a PGP Key “to hopefully establish a secure line of communication” with the attacker.

“We understand that you will be reluctant to contact us through traditional channels,” Devasini writes. Bitfinex offers three ways of secure communication:

We believe that a combination of Tor and an anonymous email service should suffice to protect your identity and location. Encrypting your message with our PGP key further guarantees privacy from prying eyes, but to prove your authenticity to us, we ask that you provide the public key associated with 1QDBWKgfftwuraEasMGSUvj9PPrswZv19q and sign your message with the corresponding private key.

Instead of using e-mail, you can can send the authenticating information via Bitmessage and Tor. Our Bitmessage address is BM-2cW79647sMFe3fJKKGKAwXWwTSS293meq8.

Alternatively, you can send us a message on the Blockchain using OP_RETURN. You can encrypt a message (containing your pub key) with our PGP key, split up the message into 80 byte chunks, and send transactions to 19eT7KGKo1gFjgBhEF4957wVNugkc2cakK from any one of the 2072 addresses currently holding the bitcoins in question.

Devasini concludes: “Perhaps there is yet a different way that you’d like to communicate? If so, please initiate contact and provide instructions for your preferred method of communication. We are anxious to hear from you. Our interest here is not to accuse, blame or make demands, but rather to discuss an arrangement that we think you will find interesting.”

The Bitcoin price fell dramatically when Bitfinex announced the “security breach.” The biggest USD bitcoin exchange announced it would shut down its website at that time, and its future has been in limbo ever since.

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