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FTX bolsters claims portal security measures following cyber breach

Following the cyber breach of non-sensitive data, bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has reactivated account access to its customer claims portal.

Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX has restored its customer claims portal, which was previously shut down due to a cyber attack. Claimants can now continue to submit asset claims they held on the exchange prior to it becoming insolvent. 

On September 16, FTX made a statement on X (formerly Twitter), confirming that none of its systems were affected by the cyber breach involving its appointed bankruptcy claims agent, Kroll.

It declared that account holders of the now-defunct crypto exchange can now access to their accounts and proceed with the bankruptcy claims process for digital assets they held on the exchange prior to it declaring bankruptcy in November 2022. 

The claims portal allows customers who had accounts with FTX, FTX US, Blockfolio, FTX EU, FTX Japan and Liquid submit claims as part of the company's restructuring. 

On September 11, Cointelegraph reported that approximately 36,075 customer claims, worth $16 billion have been filed against FTX and FTX US, and 10% of those have been agreed on.

Related: FTX claims portal becomes unavailable shortly after going live

It was further noted that 2,300 non-customer claims have been filed against the entity, worth $65 billion, including those from Genesis, Celsius and Voyager. 

FTX asserted that freezing the accounts was a precautionary step and has stated it has introduced additional security measures. 

No FTX systems were impacted by the Kroll incident, and freezing accounts was a precautionary measure.

This comes after numerous reports of issues with the claims portal in recent times.

On Aug. 27, FTX declared a temporary suspension of accounts for affected users who accessed its claims portal after the cybersecurity attack against Kroll was disclosed.

However, users could still submit a proof-of-claim through Kroll's online customer form and by mail.

The breach allegedly exposed non-sensitive customer data of specific claimants. At the time, FTX said it was overseeing the situation, assuring that account passwords, systems and funds remain unaffected.

The customer claims portal was launched on July 11 but went offline for unknown reasons after only one hour.

In related news, The Delaware Bankruptcy Court has recently granted approval for the sale of FTX's digital assets.

On Sept. 13, Judge John Dorsey issued a ruling permitting FTX will be allowed to sell off assets in weekly batches, with strict conditions, through an investment advisor. The initial week will have a limit of $50 million, followed by $100 million in subsequent weeks. 

However, FTX is currently prohibited from selling its Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and "certain insider-affiliated tokens." Any potential sales of these assets require a separate decision by FTX, following a 10 days' notice to the committees and U.S. Trustee. 

Magazine: Deposit risk: What do crypto exchanges really do with your money?

Counterpunch: Russia Reveals Plan to Utilize Frozen Western Assets

FTX Warns Community of Phony ‘Debt Tokens’ and Scams Claiming to Be Affiliated With the Bankrupt Exchange

FTX Warns Community of Phony ‘Debt Tokens’ and Scams Claiming to Be Affiliated With the Bankrupt ExchangeOn Friday, debtors who control the official FTX Twitter account warned the community to “be on alert for scams from entities claiming to be affiliated with FTX.” They also noted that neither FTX debtors nor any entity related to the company has issued any IOU crypto assets or “debt tokens.” The alert comes as a […]

Counterpunch: Russia Reveals Plan to Utilize Frozen Western Assets

Bankruptcy court told FTX and Alameda owe BlockFi $1B… but it’s complicated

While BlockFi has attempted to separate itself from FTX and Alameda in its bankruptcy proceedings, it has many financial ties to firms owned by SBF.

A lawyer for BlockFi told the first day hearing of its bankruptcy proceedings that the crypto lender has $355 million stuck on FTX and that the collapsed exchange’s sister company Alameda Research has defaulted on a $680 million loan.

BlockFi filed 15 motions on Nov. 28 which were approved by the court in the first day hearing on Nov. 29, including the redaction of personal details of its 50 largest creditors, and the appointment of Kroll Restructuring Administration as its claims and noticing agent — the same firm chosen by FTX for its chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

In a message emailed to worried clients, BlockFi noted that the approved motions allow it to continue “core operations” during the restructuring process, and also to continue to pay its employees and independent contractors. BlockFi estimates that its wages bill is around $5.8 million per month, and that it owed around $1.5 million in wages when it filed the motion on Nov. 28.

The message to clients said that BlockFi’s “singular focus” throughout the proceedings is “maximizing value for all clients and other stakeholders.”

According to a Nov. 29 CNBC report, BlockFi’s attorney, Joshua Sussberg, also added in the hearing that BlockFi plans to reopen withdrawals to customers at an unspecified time, and he was optimistic that the firm will be able to salvage the business after the restructuring.

While FTX and Alameda owe BlockFi around $1 billion, the state of financial obligations is made more complicated by the $400 million line of credit extended to BlockFi by FTX US on Jul. 1.

According to BlockFi, which cited the FTX collapse as the reason for its woes, it still owes $275 million to FTX US in a deal which it claims was agreed to by 89% of its shareholders.

The funds were provided to BlockFi after it was caught up in the contagion caused by the collapse of Terra’s stablecoin on May 10. BlockFi revealed that the loan is set to mature on Jun. 30 2027 and has an interest rate of 5%.

Related: Bitcoin shrugs off BlockFi, China protests as BTC price holds $16K

Additionally, on Nov. 28 BlockFi sued a holding company of Bankman-Fried’s called Emergent Fidelity Technologies, seeking collateral that Emergent had pledged to pay on Nov. 9 which includes shares in the online brokerage Robinhood. The next hearing is set to be held on Jan. 9.

Timeline of BlockFi’s history. Source: First Day Hearing Presentation.

Counterpunch: Russia Reveals Plan to Utilize Frozen Western Assets

FTX names Kroll as claims agent, to update users on bankruptcy developments

Claims and noticing agents such as Kroll are often assigned to bankruptcy cases where the number of creditors exceeds a thousand.

Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX has appointed restructuring administration firm Kroll as its agent to track all claims against FTX and ensure interested parties are notified of developments throughout its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

Known as the “claims and noticing agent,” Kroll was appointed to the role on Nov. 12 with the news made public on Nov. 17, and aims to compile a database of all claims against FTX Trading and 101 affiliated companies.

At the time of writing, this database lists only eight claims, including one from Singaporean-based blockchain development firm Ethereal Tech for $11.7 million, but will soon be fleshed out as more claims against the group are lodged.

For example, one other case that Kroll has worked on, that of rental car company Hertz, has 62,061 claims against it from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.

The eight claims currently included already amount to $40.9 million, though FTX Trading alone is understood to owe customers and investors as much as $8 billion.

Within the filing, the firm has also compiled a list of interested parties it will keep updated on developments, which it acknowledges is incomplete and does not currently include customers.

This list is currently composed of approximately 750 parties who have some kind of interest in the case, with some of the included groups consisting of debtors, banks, landlords, insurance providers, directors, landlords, and regulators.

Some noteworthy names included in the list are National Australia Bank (NAB), Apple, Facebook, JPMorgan, Chainalysis, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Circle, Stephen Curry, Reddit, and Yuga Labs.

Meanwhile, the number of creditors involved with FTX is thought to be in excess of one million, and corporate securities lawyer Margaret Rosenfeld told Cointelegraph it will take years before any begin to receive any funds back, adding:

“You can’t make creditor distributions until these claims are analyzed. It’s also way too early to speculate on what kind of distribution creditors will get back. Though in mega cases, such as this, full recovery would be unusual.”

Kroll Restructuring Administration is an indirect subsidiary of Kroll LLC, which is one of the world’s largest corporate intelligence companies. Notably, the firm had been employed by Harvey Weinstein on multiple occasions, including when allegations of sexual harassment were brought against him in 2016.

Related: SBF received $1B in personal loans from Alameda: FTX bankruptcy filing

The parent company offers a wide range of services in areas such as environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), valuation, compliance, cyber risk, investigations, and corporate finance.

On Nov. 15, regulators in the Bahamas argued that FTX’s new CEO lacks the authority to initiate Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States, with the provisional liquidator overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings of FTX Digital Markets in The Bahamas rejecting the “validity of any purported attempt to place FTX Affiliates in bankruptcy.”

Counterpunch: Russia Reveals Plan to Utilize Frozen Western Assets