Former Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpelès said reports of hardware wallets altered with malicious components had been reaching Ledger since at least December 2025, urging the company to warn users more proactively.
According to statements reported by Wu Blockchain, Karpelès said similar reports were becoming more frequent and attacks more sophisticated. Saying he had not seen a public warning from the company following these reports, Karpelès criticized its approach to informing users.
The remarks put when the company was notified and how users were warned at the center of the discussion about tampering involving Ledger devices.
Researcher says he reported the issue in March
Security researcher Joe Grand said he reported to the company on March 4, 2026 that a Ledger Nano X he had purchased through Lazada in Thailand had been tampered with. According to Grand, Ledger confirmed it had received the report and said it was reviewing the matter internally.
This account concerns the security of a specific device purchased through a sales channel. Karpelès’s call, meanwhile, focuses on informing users more proactively in response to similar reports.
The CryptoBilis case is also in the spotlight
The security incident disclosed on October 9 involved devices sold through CryptoBilis, an authorized reseller in Southeast Asia. No confirmed connection was reported between the CryptoBilis case and Grand’s March report about the Nano X he purchased in Thailand.
Karpelès’s criticism is based not on a definitive finding that the company never issued a warning, but on his statement that he had not seen one. The dates of the reports and the scope of the information provided to customers have emerged as key points in the discussion.
Not investment advice.