#MtGox Mysteries
It's been over 10 years since MtGox entered bankruptcy. I've spent much of that time analyzing what happened, and there are still things I don't fully understand.
One of those things is an engineer we hired during the last months of MtGox. I will not name him for obvious reasons. While he was recommended to us and vetted by a hiring agency here in Tokyo, I can't help but feel his purpose was never to actually work as an engineer to build something, but to cause damage.
There were no red flags at first. He seemed competent and professional. He was young but had the skills of a professional engineer, the kind of people we were looking for to work on MtGox.
The first time we knew anything was wrong was shortly before MtGox filed for bankruptcy. I was told he'd thrown his access card against a wall and stormed out of the office. This came as a bit of a surprise for me and the rest of the team was shocked.
That wouldn't be the only time we'd hear from him. Using information he gathered while working for MtGox and knowing that with the company's bankruptcy it was unlikely anyone would stop him, he "hacked" into the servers and started accessing the database, triggering alarms and getting locked out mid-attempt. It's pretty stupid to hack the company you just left, especially after leaving in such a dramatic exit.
Shortly after, he released a "MtGox Leak 2014" archive including some of the files he took while he worked there, others from the later hack and a fake "admin tool" that was actually malware designed to steal bitcoins.
He called himself a whistleblower, however that doesn't fit with the malware, making this claim hard to believe.
Ironically, the leak provided hard evidence he was behind the intrusion, as it included data both from the office and from the hack.
I later learned he got involved with some of the MtGox customers whom had hired lawyers in Japan, and was cooperating with said lawyers. He tried to secure legal help claiming I was targeting him, backed by a forged death threat email "from me."
Years later I'd have a chance to talk with the police and ask them about him specifically, only to learn he left Japan.
His motives remain unclear. He joined, stole data, hacked the company, built and distributed malware, and fabricated evidence - then fled the country.
Why? Revenge? Money? Something else?
Some mysteries fade with time. Others stay with you reminding you that nobody can be trusted.