Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès stated on October 16, 2026, that reports of compromised Ledger hardware wallets date back to at least December 2025. He questioned Ledger’s response, telling Cointelegraph that he knew of at least two individuals who had contacted the company regarding altered devices, yet no public warning had been issued since.
Karpelès urged Ledger to proactively remind customers, stating that the increasing number of reports and increasingly sophisticated attack methods mean the company must take action. His criticism targets devices containing malicious hardware components.
Ledger Hardware Wallet Tampering: Report and Response
Security researcher Joe Grand stated that he notified Ledger on March 4, 2026, that he had discovered a compromised Nano X device purchased through Thailand’s Lazada. The device was purchased in August 2025, several months before he disclosed the issue to the manufacturer.
Grand said Ledger acknowledged his discovery and informed him that the company was conducting an internal investigation. He also criticized the company for failing to proactively warn customers about this threat, consistent with Karpelès’s concerns about public communication.
Another security incident disclosed on October 9, 2026, involved the loss of cryptocurrency, with the associated wallet sold through the Southeast Asian authorized distributor CryptoBilis. This incident occurred after the early reports described by Karpelès and Grand.
These Ledger hardware wallet tampering reports involve devices purchased on online marketplaces as well as devices sold by authorized distributors. Ledger confirms that one device affected in the CryptoBilis incident contained unauthorized implanted components.
This article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.