The Ledger implant probe still points at a single seller, Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis, according to an October 13 update. Users hit back within minutes, claiming tampered devices also surfaced at MediaMarkt, a major European electronics chain.
Ledger says it is reviewing reports of implants in other signers and locations. However, its update named no retailer beyond CryptoBilis, and critics read that silence as downplaying.
Is the Ledger Implant Problem Bigger Than One Reseller?
According to Ledger Donjon, the company’s in-house security team, the implant reads the recovery phrase off the screen during setup. It then sends the 24 words out over a cellular connection.
Still, several users argue the problem reaches beyond Asia. Replies repeatedly asked why the update left out MediaMarkt and other European locations.
One user claimed the Ledger supply chain is compromised in Europe as well. He said a second device from another MediaMarkt store carried the same extra cables and cellular module. He also urged a recall and shared an unboxing video as proof.
Store records traced the stock to Aqipa, a European electronics distributor, he added. He has since sent the device to Ledger for analysis.
So far, Ledger has not confirmed any case outside CryptoBilis.
Who Covers the Losses From Tampered Signers?
Ledger asks drained users to contact Support so it can include their cases, and to file a police report. However, its update did not address reimbursement.
Ledger also has not confirmed how many users lost funds or the total value. One trader reportedly lost $6.6 million in Bitcoin after buying through the reseller.
Ledger’s Genuine Check, a built-in authenticity test, meanwhile verifies the security chip but not every component around it. As a result, a hidden spy chip could still pass it.
The company also warns that it will never call users, message them directly, or ask for their recovery phrase.
Ledger still tells CryptoBilis buyers to move funds to a new signer with a fresh recovery phrase. Some owners now weigh their hardware wallets to spot tampering, though a matching reading proves little.
For now, the Ledger implant case shifts the trust debate from chips to retail shelves. A confirmed European case would turn a reseller scandal into a recall question.
