De la fuite de données à l'IPO : la crise de confiance du leader des portefeuilles matériels

【区块律动】Hard wallet players are back in the spotlight. Ledger plans to go public in the US, with a valuation potentially exceeding $4 billion, and has been in talks with Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, and Barclays, aiming to complete the process as early as this year. It sounds like big news, but many have raised questions about the company’s past.

Security incidents have always been a hot topic for Ledger. In June 2020, this French hardware wallet manufacturer experienced a serious leak — hackers exploited a third-party API key configuration vulnerability on their website to illegally access e-commerce and marketing databases. The result? Over 1 million email addresses were leaked, including approximately 272,000 records containing full personal information such as real names, mailing addresses, and phone numbers. Once these details fall into the wrong hands, users face targeted scams or theft risks, leading to actual losses of millions of dollars.

Beyond security concerns, the products themselves have issues. The battery defect in the Nano X series has been widely criticized, with ongoing user feedback. Recently, Ledger announced that it would start charging for the Clear Signing feature — a basic function designed to protect users — now requiring payment to use, which many find unacceptable. Industry insiders believe that announcing an IPO in such a context appears more like a move to maximize cash-out during a market boom.