Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid is trying to recover nearly $ 100 million worth of stolen assets, in the second such large-scale theft by hackers in recent days. The Tokyo-based company said in a statement Thursday that it had "discovered unauthorized access to some of Liquid-managed crypto wallets".
Elliptic, a London-based firm that helps track down stolen cryptocurrencies, said its analysis found that "just over $ 97 million in cryptocurrencies were taken from accounts identified by Liquid as backed by a thief."
"Our investigators are also assisting Liquid in tracking down stolen funds," Elliptic added in a blog post.
The theft comes after a hacker stole $ 600 million worth of assets last week from cryptocurrency trading company Poly Network, before gradually returning the money, claiming they had pulled the theft to expose a security flaw .
Liquid said it had suspended cryptocurrency withdrawals while assessing the impact of the attack, although trade was ongoing.
Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital currencies use a technology called blockchain, which ensures that every transaction is recorded.
Thieves trying to steal cryptocurrencies usually transfer funds through many different accounts at breakneck speed - sometimes hundreds of thousands of transactions - in an attempt to cover their tracks.
However, industry players have grown better at identifying and blocking stolen coins.
Liquid said the $ 16.3 million stolen Ethereum had already been frozen "due to the help of the crypto community and other exchanges".