Trust Wallet Temporarily Suspends Chrome Extension: Victims of $7M Hack Await Claims Tool

Trust Wallet has temporarily removed its Chrome extension from the Chrome Web Store due to a security incident involving a hack that caused significant financial losses. Users affected by the breach are experiencing delays in accessing a crucial claims verification tool designed to help them file for reimbursements.

Key Takeaways

Trust Wallet's Chrome extension was removed following a hack that resulted in over $7 million in losses.
Users affected included those who installed a malicious version during a specific time window.
The company is implementing a claims process but is facing challenges with fake claims.
A forthcoming verification feature is delayed due to a bug with the Chrome Web Store.

Trust Wallet Temporarily Suspends Chrome Extension — $7M Hack Victims Await Claims Tool

Trust Wallet Faces Delays After Chrome Extension Hack

Recently, Trust Wallet users who fell victim to a browser extension hack are now dealing with further delays. The wallet provider announced that its Chrome extension is temporarily unavailable on the Chrome Web Store. This removal is hindering the release of an essential claims verification tool related to the incident.

Trust Wallet's CEO, Eowyn Chen, explained that the extension was taken down following a bug that occurred while they were trying to issue a new version. This update was intended to offer a verification feature that would assist victims of the Christmas Day hack in confirming their wallet ownership and securely filing for reimbursement claims.

Chen mentioned that Google is aware of the issue and is actively addressing it internally. Users are also warned to be cautious of counterfeit or impersonated versions of the extension circulating online.

How the Hack Occurred

The situation escalates as Trust Wallet continues to deal with the repercussions of a security breach that started in late December. On December 25, the company confirmed that a malicious version of its Chrome browser extension, specifically version 2.68, was distributed via the Chrome Web Store outside the regular release process.

This compromised extension let attackers access private wallet data and perform unauthorized transactions, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. Trust Wallet's internal investigation revealed that only those who installed version 2.68 and logged into their wallets between December 24 and December 26 were impacted.

Users of the mobile app, those on different extension versions, and anyone who installed or logged in after December 26 were not affected. Trust Wallet discovered 2,520 wallet addresses that were drained during the incident, with approximately $8.5 million in assets connected to 17 wallets controlled by attackers.

The wallet provider highlighted that some of these attacking addresses also targeted non-Trust Wallet wallets. Security researchers later validated that the malicious extension appeared authentic, passing Chrome's review process, but included hidden code capable of extracting recovery phrases.

Reports indicated that merely importing a seed phrase into the extension triggered immediate fund loss across various blockchains.

Trust Wallet’s Response and Future Steps

Trust Wallet traced the hack back to a broader supply chain attack known as Sha1-Hulud, which emerged in November and affected multiple organizations through compromised developer tools. They noted that exposed GitHub secrets and a leaked API key from the Chrome Web Store enabled the attacker to upload the malicious extension, bypassing internal security checks.

To address this, Trust Wallet reverted to a safe release of the extension, published version 2.69, and disabled the compromised publishing credentials. They also announced a voluntary reimbursement program for confirmed victims of the attack.

On December 29, Trust Wallet launched a formal claims process where users can submit their wallet addresses, transaction hashes, and other identifying details via an official support portal.

In response to over 5,000 claims submitted, Trust Wallet indicated that they were overwhelmed by the number of claims. This is concerning, as the total number of verified affected wallets is much lower, suggesting the possibility of fake or duplicate claims. This discrepancy prompted the development of a new verification mechanism intended to accompany the next update of the browser extension, which has been delayed due to the aforementioned Chrome Web Store issues.

Trust Wallet Claims Process

The incident adds to the rising trend of wallet-related issues within the cryptocurrency sector. Industry data highlights an increasing ratio of personal wallet compromises, as well as the proportion of stolen funds.