The local police of Iceland are investigating a case where big data computers used to mine bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies were stolen from a data center. About 11 people have been arrested since the investigations started.
The “Big Bitcoin Heist” as the local media call it saw a series of robberies as about 600 computers were stolen from data centers in Iceland. The computers seized were worth $2 million and used to mine Bitcoin as well as other cryptocurrencies.
Up to now, the hardware that was stolen has not been found, but the local police have reported that they are investigating and monitoring areas with high energy consumptions.
According to information provided by the authorities, three out of four burglaries happened in December; the fourth happened in January. All these incidences weren’t made public earlier on, but the police are working ways out to track down the responsible perpetrator.
Iceland has lately turned into a breeding ground for cryptocurrency miners. These miners are making the most of the country’s hydroelectric and geothermal power plants which are not only cost-effective but reliable too than many other parts of the globe.
Earlier in December, someone towed off a major heist in Bitcoin history, the virtual currency that estimates cash on the internet. The unlawful drug souk Sheep Marketplace was robbed by either insiders or hackers where approximately $100 million worth of the money was filched from customers.
Bitcoin thefts are in reality common. Back in June 2011, a user known as Allinvain became a victim of what was possibly the first recorded vital Bitcoin robbery. When Allinvain woke, he found that a hacker had whipped him bitcoins worth about half a million dollars’.
Since that time, there have been series of Bitcoin thefts. The supposedly high-return investment fund Bitcoin Savings & Trust cast out as a pyramid scheme, and the owner was charged for ripping off investors about $4.5 million in bitcoins.
MyBitcoin wallet, a service that stores bitcoins like money in a bank account, vanished with approximately $1 million worth of customers’ bitcoins. Most of the trusted and renowned Bitcoin companies like Mt. Gox and Bitcoinica exchanges also suffered high-profile heists.
