The CyberINTELIGENCIA CyberPressed group published on breachforums forum, exposing a code used in the Government of Salvador’s Bitcoin Banklkomats Chivo Wallet. The publication surfaced on the forum on April 23.
“This time I provide you with a code that is used in the Bitcoin Banklkomats Chivo Wallet in Salvador. Remember that this is a state wallet, and, as you know, we do not sell anything, we publish everything for free,” the statement said.
This revelation comes in the wake of several Chivo hacks, including the recent leak of personal data of 5.1 million Salvadors (almost the entire adult population of the country) in early April. On April 22, Venarix, a local cybersecurity project, warned on X (formerly Twitter) that hackers were planning to upload the code to the network, referencing the telegram channel CiberINTELIGENCIAsv.
The publication included the Codigo.rar file, which contained the compiled code and VPN data for accessing the ATM network. In September 2021, Salvador became the first country to recognize Bitcoin as a legal payment vehicle. The authorities actively promoted Chivo as an official wallet for the population, enabling users to buy, sell, store, and withdraw BTC through ATMs.
Despite the government’s efforts to endorse Chivo, numerous complaints about bugs, technical failures, and operational errors have persisted since its launch. Notably, despite reports of a recent leak, the Salvadoran government has not officially addressed the situation.