The post Fake Ledger Wallets With Hidden WiFi Chips Surface on Chinese Marketplaces appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Peter Zhang
Apr 17, 2026 06:55

Security researcher exposes counterfeit Ledger devices with embedded wireless antennas designed to steal crypto. Comes days after $9.5M fake app losses.

Counterfeit Ledger hardware wallets rigged with hidden WiFi and Bluetooth antennas are being sold on Chinese marketplaces at official retail prices, according to a Brazilian security researcher who purchased one for personal use and nearly fell victim to the scheme. The discovery, posted to Reddit on April 16 under the handle “Past_Computer2901,” reveals a supply chain attack targeting first-time hardware wallet buyers. The fake device passed visual inspection but failed Ledger’s built-in authenticity verification when connected to the legitimate Ledger Live app. “This isn’t meant to cause panic, but rather to serve as a serious warning — I’m honestly still a bit shaken by the sheer scale of this operation,” the researcher wrote. Inside the Counterfeit Device After the device failed Ledger’s Genuine Check, the researcher disassembled it. What they found was alarming: scraped chip markings and wireless communication hardware embedded inside a unit that should operate entirely offline. Legitimate Ledger products keep private keys air-gapped from internet-connected systems. The addition of WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities suggests the counterfeit device could transmit stolen seed phrases to attackers remotely. Digging into the firmware revealed more red flags. While the device initially identified itself as a Nano S Plus 7704 with a valid-looking serial number, the boot sequence exposed the actual manufacturer: Espressif Systems, a Shanghai-based semiconductor company with no connection to Ledger’s supply chain. Cointelegraph reached out to Espressif for comment but received no immediate response. The Attack Vector The scam specifically targets buyers unfamiliar with Ledger’s ecosystem. A QR code included in the packaging directs users to download a malicious version of Ledger Live rather…

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Filed under: News - @ April 17, 2026 10:21 pm