Ledger, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of cryptocurrency hardware wallets, reportedly had a glitch in its software that resulted in losses for those using its Ethereum Chrome application.
In order to keep its systems secure, Ledger decided to temporarily close down its Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC) infrastructures. The firm noted all users were seeing the same static address displayed on the interface they use to connect to their hardware wallets. It added that “this looks more like a bug than a compromission.”
A “Side Effect”
The crypto wallet manufacturer revealed its engineers were working to resolve the glitch and told its customers to only use Ledger Live, which the company recently launched as an alternative to its Chrome-based wallet management software.
A few hours later, Ledger confirmed there was no security breach and that a “wrong address” was being shown on their Chrome-based wallet interface. This was due to a “side effect when we pushed an update to invite users to use the Ledger Live instead of the Chrome app”, the French manufacturer said.
Ledger also promised its customers to cover any losses caused by the issue
We confirm this is a bug in the Chrome app, coming from a side effect when we pushed an update to invite users to use the Ledger Live instead of the Chrome app. A wrong address was shown on the computer. Ledger will cover 100% of all losses due to the issue.
— Ledger (@LedgerHQ) August 3, 2018
Notably, Ledger Live was launched last month and promoted as a better alternative to the older Chrome-based wallet management program. It can currently be used to manage cryptocurrencies stored on the company’s Nano S and Ledger Blue hardware wallets, without requiring a browser.
Improving Security
It appears Ledger is aggressively looking to expand its line of products and services. The recently company released an app called Hodl, which aims to improve security by allowing users to easily enter and verify their crypto wallet’s address while receiving payments.
Ledger also recently launched Recovery Check 2, an app that lets users make sure their 24 word recovery phrase is correct. The leading wallet provider currently supports about 30 different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple’s XRP, Litecoin, QTUM, and Zcash.