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Story: Coldcard Firmware Flaw Leads to $100 Million Bitcoin Heist

By Jean-Luc Maracon

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Jonathan Goodman and $1.6 Million Vanished. Jonathan Goodman, an entrepreneur, is among the identified victims. He lost $1.

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Self-Custody vs. Centralized Platforms: The Real Score. A 2025 report provides thought-provoking figures. Since 2010, 1.

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A massive theft. Coldcard, a well-known manufacturer of hardware wallets in the Bitcoin ecosystem, has confirmed the loss of 2,000 bitcoins — over $100 million — directly linked…

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The flaw dates back to March 2021. For years, no one noticed — or at least, nothing was said.

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It's the kind of recommendation that always comes too late for some.

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The situation reignites an old debate in the crypto community: are we really safer with a cold wallet than with a centralized platform?

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A 2025 report provides thought-provoking figures. Since 2010, 1.57 million bitcoins have been lost via self-custody wallets. On centralized exchange platforms, it's 1.51 million.

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Centralized platforms are convenient. Simple interface, customer support, account recovery if you lose your password.

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See also: A Coldcard Firmware Flaw Drains 1,367 Bitcoins from 4,585 Wallets

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Cold wallets, on the other hand, embody pure Bitcoin ideology: "Not your keys, not your coins." You control everything. No one else can block your funds.

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Coldcard is not the first manufacturer to face this kind of problem. In 2020, Ledger — the French company — suffered a hack that exposed the personal data of over 273,000 clients.

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This sector changes quickly, and not always for the better.

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The problem with hardware wallets is that users trust them precisely because they are supposed to be the ultimate solution. Offline, physical, impossible to hack remotely.

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It's not yet clear if Coldcard knew before July 31.

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Users who bought a Coldcard device between March 2021 and the firmware fix are potentially exposed.

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