Didi Taihuttu, patriarch of the so-called “Bitcoin Household,” has overhauled his digital asset safety setup following a wave of violent assaults concentrating on crypto holders.
The household, recognized for going all-in on Bitcoin in 2017, now hides parts of their personal keys throughout 4 continents. In a CNBC interview, Taihuttu mentioned he now makes use of a hybrid method as a substitute of relying solely on {hardware} wallets.
Taihuttu instructed CNBC that the household has modified every thing. “Even when somebody held me at gunpoint, I can’t give them greater than what’s on my pockets or my telephone. And that’s not quite a bit,” he mentioned.
The safety overhaul comes amid a wave of legal exercise, together with kidnappings and extortion makes an attempt geared toward crypto customers. Taihuttu mentioned the threats compelled them to rethink their safety technique.
Keys break up, encrypted and saved globally
The household’s seed phrase is encrypted and break up into 4 elements. Taihuttu mentioned it’s saved utilizing blockchain-based providers and fireproof metallic plates etched by hand. The plates are then hidden in bodily areas worldwide, permitting the household to eradicate potential factors of failure of their safety system.
Taihuttu added a layer of non-public encryption to additional strengthen the setup by modifying some phrases within the seed phrase, making them unusable with out the right context.
The household lives a nomadic way of life, travelling globally to advertise Bitcoin. Due to the rising menace to crypto holders, Taihuttu mentioned the household not posts real-time updates about their location on-line after receiving threats from people who tracked them utilizing social media.
Taihuttu mentioned about 65% of the household’s property at the moment are held in chilly storage beneath their new safety mannequin. Their scorching wallets for buying and selling and bills are protected by means of multisignature protocols.
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Crypto-linked crimes spike as digital property surge
As digital asset costs rise, so have incidents of crypto-related crime. In late 2024 and early 2025, high-profile circumstances emerged in France, Pakistan, Australia and Canada, linking violent crimes to crypto possession.
In January, gang members in the UK have been convicted of kidnapping, torturing and extorting a crypto investor. In February, six males kidnapped a household of three in Chicago, demanding the switch of $15 million in crypto.
In March, streamer Kaitlyn Siragusa, referred to as “Amouranth” on-line, turned a sufferer of a house invasion, the place the perpetrators held her at gunpoint, demanding the switch of crypto property. In Could, South Korean police arrested a Russian nationwide after a failed $730,000 crypto theft.
On Could 13, three masked males tried to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the co-founder and CEO of French crypto change Paymium. The suspects attacked Noizat’s daughter and a male associate whereas she was strolling along with her son in Paris.
The male associate was assaulted whereas Noizat’s daughter resisted, taking one of many weapons from the assailants. Individuals passing by ultimately intervened, forcing the attackers to flee the scene.
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