Buyer Reports Second Tampered Ledger Wallet Purchased From MediaMarkt

A second tampered device surfaces from MediaMarkt

A buyer has reported a second tampered Ledger hardware wallet purchased from the electronics retailer MediaMarkt. The buyer says the device is being sent to Ledger for analysis and is calling for a product recall.

A hardware wallet is a small dedicated device that stores cryptocurrency private keys offline. Keeping keys offline is considered safer than storing them on a computer or phone, because a hardware wallet is harder for software attackers to reach. Ledger is a well-known manufacturer of hardware wallets.

Key details from the report

• The second device was bought from MediaMarkt, a consumer electronics retail chain.
• The buyer named Aqipa as the distributor involved in the MediaMarkt purchase.
• The buyer said the device is being sent to Ledger for analysis.
• Ledger Support says all confirmed tampering cases so far have involved a different reseller called CryptoBilis.
• The buyer is calling for a product recall.

What Ledger says about the case

Ledger Support maintains that the confirmed cases of tampering involve devices sold by reseller CryptoBilis. The company has not publicly confirmed whether this second device from MediaMarkt was also tampered with.

Why tampered hardware wallets matter

Hardware wallets are designed to keep cryptocurrency keys secure by keeping them offline. If a device is tampered with, there is a risk that the keys stored inside could be exposed to an attacker. A tampered device could potentially be used to drain cryptocurrency from a user's wallet.

Analysis underway, no timeline yet

The buyer has sent the second device to Ledger for analysis. No timeline for results has been announced.

Sources

• The Defiant