Ledger asks more Southeast Asian resellers to stop selling crypto wallets

Hardware wallet maker expands sales pause across Asia

Crypto wallet company Ledger is asking resellers and distributors in Hong Kong and across Southeast Asia to stop selling its devices. The move comes after devices sold through a Malaysian reseller were found to contain spyware linked to an $86 million cryptocurrency hack. Ledger had already suspended sales with its official Malaysian reseller, CryptoBilis, last week. Now it has broadened the request to include resellers in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Hong Kong.

Who is affected

The affected resellers include major online marketplaces and local crypto shops such as LazMall, Shopee, Tokopedia, Ishopchangi, Bitkub, HKTVMALL, Crypto HK, and several others across the region.

Why Ledger is acting

Ledger says the expanded reseller crackdown is part of its effort to trace exactly where in its supply chain tampered devices entered circulation and who is responsible. The company did not specify how many devices may be affected or where the compromise occurred. Whether all the resellers will comply with Ledger's request remains unclear.

European and rival moves

Ledger's German-based reseller MediaMarkt also suspended sales this week. Meanwhile, rival hardware wallet maker Trezor announced it is reducing its number of resellers out of caution. Trezor stated there is no evidence its devices have been compromised, though it confirmed it has stopped working with CryptoBilis as well. Some Trezor wallets bought from unauthorized sellers on Facebook Marketplace and TikTok Shop have been found with tampering. Trezor says those cases likely relate to an older incident from 2022 and involve unofficial sellers replacing the device's microcontroller rather than adding implants to genuine units.

What Ledger has said publicly

When asked for comment, Ledger directed Protos to its recent statement on X and added: "It's a sensitive, ongoing investigation and we will communicate more when we have more to share."

What is confirmed

- Ledger has asked resellers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam to halt sales of its devices. - Devices sold through Malaysian reseller CryptoBilis were found to contain spyware and linked to an $86 million hack. - MediaMarkt in Germany and Trezor have also paused or reduced reseller relationships. - Trezor denies evidence of compromise to its own devices but stopped working with CryptoBilis.

What remains unclear

- It is not confirmed whether every reseller listed by Ledger will actually stop selling. - The full scope of how many devices were tampered with and through which part of the supply chain has not been disclosed. - Trezor's claim that its devices are uncompromised is contradicted by reports of tampered units sold through unauthorized third-party platforms, though Trezor attributes those to a prior case.

Why this matters for wallet users

Hardware wallets store cryptocurrency private keys offline, making them one of the most secure ways to hold digital assets. If devices in the supply chain are tampered with before reaching buyers, the security advantage is defeated. Users who purchased wallets from resellers in the affected regions are advised to verify the source of their devices and monitor Ledger's official channels for further guidance.

What happens next

Ledger has not provided a timeline for when resellers can resume sales. The company says it will share more details when its investigation produces results.

Sources

• Protos