Cryptocurrency

LocalBitcoins will discontinue its service

2023-02-09 [vendor] LocalBitcoins to [chain] bitcoin
Primary Source ↗
Blockchain(s) Bitcoin

Incident Details

LocalBitcoins, a Finnish platform that allows individuals to trade Bitcoins with one another peer-to-peer, will be shutting down. The exchange is one of the longest running cryptocurrency exchanges, and for a while functioned as a way for people to trade cash for Bitcoin (and vice versa) more privately. However, in 2019, the exchange introduced KYC requirements.LocalBitcoins cited “the ongoing very cold crypto-winter” as the rationale for the closure, and stated that new sign-ups would be suspended immediately. Trading will be suspended a week later, and users will have a year to withdraw Bitcoins they stored on LocalBitcoins’ wallet product.

Technical Details

Initial Attack Vector
Protocol collapse / insolvency
Vendor / Product
LocalBitcoins to

Timeline

  1. 2023-02-09 Breach occurred
  2. 2023-02-09 Publicly disclosed