Unknown attackers stole about $32 thousand in bitcoins from the cryptocurrency wallet of the New Zealand Police, which law enforcement officers planned to use to conduct an online operation. New Zealand media write about this with reference to the local police, whose representatives confirmed the incident.
According to reports, the police were planning to use the cryptocurrency during the money-laundering investigation. However, instead of this, the operation ended with the digital assets of law enforcement officers falling into the hands of the attackers and being moved from the wallet in an unknown direction.
The source notes that an internal investigation is underway in relation to the detectives, due to whose mistake the incident occurred. During the audit, it was found that the police did not provide an adequate level of protection for the assets stored in their cryptocurrency wallet. A criminal case was initiated regarding the theft of cryptocurrency, but so far law enforcement officers have not been able to establish who exactly is behind the attack and where the funds were transferred.
New Zealand police detective Stuart Mills, head of the cybercrime unit, said the police will learn a valuable lesson from the incident and will apply more stringent employee requirements in the future when conducting online operations. Despite the fact that the incident became known only now, Mills noted that the loss of the cryptocurrency was discovered at the end of 2020.
