Hack history / 2019 / Hack or exploit
Upbit
Hack or exploit on Nov 27, 2019 · Hot Wallet Key Compromised
SOURCES AGREE ON DATE AND LOSS · 2 SOURCES
Lost
$49.3M
dollars at the time
Returned
none listed
as the sources state it
Rank
#112
among thefts by dollars lost
What happened
Upbit's Ethereum hot wallet was compromised on November 27, 2019, resulting in theft of 342,000 ETH (~$49.3M). The South Korean exchange immediately froze all deposits and withdrawals and transferred remaining hot wallet funds to cold storage. Upbit announced it would cover the loss from its own funds. Lazarus/Andariel hacking groups were later attributed responsibility by authorities.
Details
- Date
- Nov 27, 2019
- Kind
- Hack or exploit
- Method
- Hot Wallet Key Compromised
- How in
- Keys, accounts and infrastructure
- Target
- Centralized exchange
- Chains
- Ethereum
After the theft
- Frozen
- yes, amount not stated
“The South Korean exchange immediately froze all deposits and withdrawals and transferred remaining hot wallet funds to cold storage.” (DefiLlama)
Reported by
Related incidents
Cite this page
SwanBluechip, "Upbit hack, Nov 27, 2019: $49.3M lost", Crypto hack history, https://swan-hack-tracker.pages.dev/history/i/ht47f74c9a20/ (data as of 2026-10-31).