A reported tampered Ledger hardware wallet found at a major European electronics retailer has widened concern over a supply-chain attack that security researchers estimate has already caused $93.4 million in losses in Asia. At the same time, an AI-assisted review of XRP Ledger software uncovered a vulnerability that could theoretically have created more than 18 trillion XRP.
According to Cointelegraph, an X user identified as Johannes said he bought a Ledger device from MediaMarkt in Europe and discovered an implant inside it. He reported purchasing the device about two weeks earlier. Photographs showed what appeared to be an earlier version of the implant associated with modified Ledger devices sold through CryptoBilis, an official Ledger reseller in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
No funds were reported stolen from the European device. Johannes said the device either had not been used successfully or that attackers may have been waiting for wider adoption of the compromised products. An update later said he had found another implant in a second device bought from a different MediaMarkt outlet, suggesting the issue may not be limited to one unit or location.
Ledger has not confirmed that the European device is connected to the same campaign. Mark Karpeles, the former chief executive of Mt. Gox, said the antenna in the device appeared to identify it as an “Eurasian version.” That could indicate that different versions of the implant were designed for regions using different mobile frequencies, although the report does not establish who made or distributed the devices.
How the Ledger attack works
The earlier incident involved Ledger devices supplied through CryptoBilis, whose business had recently been sold to a new owner. The devices were modified in a way that apparently allowed attackers to read a wallet’s seed phrase—the secret recovery information used to control crypto assets—while still passing authenticity checks.
A hardware wallet is intended to keep private keys isolated from internet-connected systems. If a device is altered before reaching a customer, however, its apparent authenticity may not guarantee that the wallet is safe. A compromised seed phrase can allow an attacker to access assets from another device or wallet.
Cybersecurity outlet Yfarmx estimated that the Asian incident affected 471 addresses and resulted in losses of $93.4 million. Ledger has not confirmed that figure. The company asked CryptoBilis to stop selling and shipping its devices as a precaution, and advised customers who bought from the reseller during the previous 90 days to consider moving their assets to a new Ledger. Ledger said the number of impacted devices was limited.
AI-assisted review uncovers XRP vulnerability
Separately, security company Veria Labs received a $250,000 bounty after reporting an overflow vulnerability in XRP Ledger software. The flaw had reportedly remained in the code since 2015 and was found through an AI agent reviewing rippled, the software that operates the XRP Ledger.
Veria Labs co-founder Cayden Liao said the AI identified two bugs initially rated as low severity. When combined, the weaknesses could allegedly have enabled one transaction to create more than 18 trillion XRP—about 184 times the cryptocurrency’s total supply. The theoretical impact was described as putting XRP’s entire $94 billion market value at risk, although there is no evidence the vulnerability was ever exploited.
The bugs were reported on September 22, and RippleX patched them three days later. The disclosure has also prompted debate over the bounty: Veria Labs received $250,000 despite describing a possible outcome capable of destabilizing the entire XRP market. The incident illustrates why individually minor software weaknesses can become much more serious when combined.
The findings also fed a wider discussion about AI and blockchain security. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin backed concerns that faster progress in AI-assisted mathematics could eventually challenge cryptography used by blockchains. Researcher Justin Drake called for the industry to prepare for “bunker mode,” while Buterin said there was no need for users to move funds immediately but argued that AI-related risks to cryptography should be taken seriously.
Critics have described those warnings as fearmongering, noting that there is no evidence AI systems are close to breaking modern cryptography. The concern remains a forward-looking risk rather than a reported attack.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 2026-10-13 09:54 +03:30 showed XRP at $1.3618271094, down 2.9% over 24 hours and 9.36% over seven days. JUST was priced at $0.1388661462, up 1.07% in 24 hours and 0.73% over seven days. edgeX stood at $0.3348509403, down 6.83% daily and 26.06% weekly.
Moneyiar data at 2026-10-13 07:53 +03:30 put AI Rig Complex at $0.035091056, down 43.36% in 24 hours and 50.2% over seven days.
The source report also said Samsung planned to add USDC transfers to Samsung Wallet for eligible US Galaxy users in the last week of October. The service is expected to support transfers to compatible wallets internationally and payments to eligible bank accounts in more than 60 countries, with identity verification required. Bastion is providing the stablecoin infrastructure, while Coinbase is acting as sub-custodian through Coinbase Prime Vault; Solana and Sui were named as technical partners.
Other developments highlighted in the report included former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s argument that the crypto industry’s strong support for Republicans had weakened its relationships with Democrats, potentially complicating federal crypto legislation. New York also permanently barred former Celsius chief executive Alex Mashinsky from the cryptocurrency, securities and commodities industries under a settlement involving up to $35 million in conditional payments. Mashinsky is serving a 12-year federal prison sentence for fraud.
