Bybit Hack Sparks Industry-Wide Security Overhaul, Hotcoin Global Launches Diamond Shield Program

Bybit Hack, the recent $1.5 billion heist that occurred on 21 Feb, has tragically exposed the vulnerabilities of Web3 infrastructure.

Hotcoin Global, the Australia-based cryptocurrency exchange, has announced the launch of its Diamond Shield Program following the recent Bybit hack, which saw hackers steal $1.5 billion.

The launch of the program and Hotcoin’s contributions to the industry recovery efforts follow its analysis of the Bybit incident, which it says was perpetrated by Lazarus Group, one of the most formidable cybercriminal organizations. Hotcoin’s findings are based on its seven-year incident-free defense mechanism.

According to Hotcoin, Lazarus Group, an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group affiliated with the North Korean regime, has carried out over 50 major attacks since 2010. The group’s activities have become more sophisticated over time, showcasing three key trends:

According to Hotcoin, hackers exploited undisclosed vulnerabilities in the hot wallet system. There are certain exchanges that opt for offshore registration to evade regulatory oversight, however, it ends up in exposing them and their users to “license-free risks.”

In a move that underscores the urgency of the situation, Hotcoin Global is calling for shared security in response to the Bybit hack. To this end, it has announced the launch of its Diamond Shield Program.

The program aims to signify Hotcoin’s shift from existing passive defence mechanisms to proactive ecosystem-wide security collaboration.

Embracing 200% Reserve Policy in addition to full asset reserves, it aims to create a dedicated hedge fund that covers all the extreme market fluctuations.

Further, it is also pioneering a decentralized Insurance Pool in partnership with Nexus Mutual. With this, users will be able to stake HT tokens for theft compensation, fostering risk-sharing mechanisms.

Hotcoin Global will provide exchanges with access to geographically distributed cold wallet architecture, zero-trust micro-segmentation, and AI-driven threat detection models. This paradigm shift in security resembles the 2017 regulatory overhaul that reshaped market order—exchanges must now rebuild trust through verifiable security and quantifiable risk management.

The Diamond Shield program also includes a Global Incident Response Network under which a cross-timezone attack mitigation framework spanning Sydney, Singapore, and Canada would be established. It will provide plug-and-play security solutions for smaller exchanges – in a move towards equitable security access.

After the Bybit Hack, security has become a more critical and integral part of Crypto Exchanges’ operations and forms the basis of trust and faith for their users’ digital assets. Hotcoin Global uses a multi-layered defense mechanism to safeguard the digital assets of its users. As part of its physical Layer Defense, it uses Cold-Hot Wallet Segmentation in which 98% of its assets are stored in geographically distributed multi-signature cold wallets, implementing a dynamic risk-based limit model.

It further uses Hardware-Level Encryption in which Private keys are sharded and stored in Swiss Vault-grade HSM modules.

For the Real-Time Defense System (Technical Layer Defense), it uses an AI-integrated deep-learning model trained on over 200TB of attack patterns, enabling 0.01% anomaly detection in fund movements. Hotcoin Global has also partnered with CertiK and SlowMist for pre-deployment audits and real-time runtime monitoring.

Thus, as Hotcoin Global aims to turn security from a cost center into a value-creation engine by its Diamond Shield Program and by opening its geographically distributed cold wallet architecture, the efforts towards web3 infra security are set to strengthen. The battle against state-backed hackers has never been a fight for one exchange alone – it is indeed a collective industry imperative.