STA, 16 November 2020 - Slovenian-based bitcoin mining marketplace Nicehash will make the final reimbursement to its clients on 16 December, three years after its clients had their cryptocurrency stolen in a hack. So far, Nicehash has returned 82% of the stolen currency, the company said a press release on Monday.

Nicehash operator H-BIT launched a reimbursement programme in February 2018 after the marketplace was hacked in December 2017.

Over 4,640 bitcoins were stolen at about EUR 10,000 per coin. The current value of bitcoin is at about EUR 13,800.

The reimbursement plan was funded from commissions and profits and was expected to be completed sooner, however poor market conditions in cryptocurrency made this impossible, the company also said.

"Nevertheless we have remained committed to our initial promise to reimburse the stolen funds in full," said the press release, adding that the objective was to show to the public that the company had only good intentions and to help improve trust in digital currency operations.

H-BIT director Martin Škorjanc was quoted by the press release as saying that the platform was now among the safest cryptocurrency markets in the world.

The cyber hack at Nicehash was investigated by the Europol and the FBI, and the company also hired an international digital forensics agency Lifars. Nevertheless, the perpetrators were not found.

All our stories on Nicehash

STA, 9 June 2019 - A US federal court in Washington, DC, has unsealed an indictment charging an America, a Spaniard and two Slovenians with racketeering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud through Darkode, a major computer hacking forum. Each of them could be sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The two suspects from Slovenia are Matjaž Škorjanc, 32, and Mentor Leniqi, a 35-year old Serbian citizen, who are together with the Spanish citizen still fugitives.

The US authorities issued arrest warrants for them, while US citizen Thomas McCormick, 26, was arrested last December, a few days after the sealed indictments were filed, according to a US Attorney Office release.

McCormick is said to be the last administrator of Darkode, which is said to have been created by Škorjanc, its first administrator.

Related: NiceHash Hacked, 4,700 Bitcoins Stolen

Darkode was an online, password-protected forum where international hackers and other cyber criminals convened to develop, buy, sell, trade and share hacking tools.

It was closed in 2015 in a major international sting termed Shrouded Horizon, which was carried out in 19 countries.

Related: Former CEO Pulls Out of NiceHash

The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Washington Field Office with assistance from Europol and their European Cyber Crime Center.

The four suspects are accused of gaining access to bank accounts and credit cards to commit identity theft, whereby causing a damage of US$4.5 million, in 2008-2013.

Škorjanc is also accused of creating malware Butterfly or the Mariposa botnet, and selling it on Darkode.

Related: NiceHash Returns 60% of Stolen Bitcoins, Now Worth 70% Less

Škorjanc has a criminal record in Slovenia. In December 2013 he was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison as the Mariposa botnet mastermind.

Leniqi, one of his co-defendants, pleaded guilty in a pre-trial hearing in 2012, striking a deal with the prosecution to get a year and three months in jail.

Coming out of prison, Škorjanc set up bitcoin-mining marketplace NiceHash, which was hacked in 2017, with some 4,700 bitcoins, at the time worth EUR 56 million, stolen.

Related: Learn Slovene with Hackers

STA, 27 August 2018 - The Slovenian-based bitcoin-mining marketplace NiceHash has so far managed to reimburse its clients 60% of some 4,700 bitcoins stolen in a hack last December, which at the time were worth some EUR 56m. 

With an impressive track record and ongoing growth of successful crypto companies, Slovenia could well be the Silicon ‘Dolina’ (valley) of the blockchain world. 

Firm will initially reimburse 10%, with more to come. 

Marko Kobal leaves the recently robbed crypto-company. 

60 million EUR of Bitcoins stolen from Slovenian company in one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts so far.