TRM Labs: Israel may use Nobitex's black data to capture spy suspects

According to a report by TRM Labs, Israel may use internal data from the hack of Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, to apprehend suspects suspected of engaging in espionage activities. On June 18th, Nobitex was attacked by the self proclaimed pro Israel hacker group Gonjeshke Darande, resulting in the theft of its hot wallet and a loss of over $90 million. TRM Labs pointed out that on June 24th, Israel arrested three individuals suspected of engaging in espionage activities for Iran, two of whom were paid through cryptocurrency. A 28 year old suspect receives a cryptocurrency payment worth $500 for each task completed. TRM Labs stated that these arrests are rare public cases of state funded espionage activities involving payments made through digital assets, which have become effective tools for covert operations due to their cross-border payment convenience. The report also mentioned that the timeline and tactical features from the Israeli airstrike on June 13, the hack of Nobitex on June 18, to the arrest on June 24 may indicate that Israeli cyber units utilized Nobitex's internal data, such as wallet information or message records. However, the Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed the direct connection between the two.