BTC-Alpha is the first international crypto-exchange with Ukrainian roots. Last November, she turned 5 years old, but the first anniversary was overshadowed by a large-scale hacker attack. The exchange team managed not only to keep all user funds safe but also to actually reach a new level of security. Vitaliy Bodnar, CEO of BTC-Alpha, in a long interview, told what measures were taken and what to expect in the future from the project. He also shared his thoughts on the role of Ukraine in the crypto world and the upcoming changes.
Such large-scale attacks also occur because the attackers introduce their own people into the team. I trust my team, but when managing funds on such a large scale, my trust is not enough. Therefore, all team members underwent a polygraph examination by independent experts. According to the results of the polygraph, I have no questions for any person. The polygraph showed that the team is open, honest, and works exclusively for the benefit of the company and for the benefit of our users.
Prior to this situation, there was no reason to take a polygraph, but this moment is spelled out in the contracts. So this was our first experience.
When I got the results, I say let’s drive me out again. The polygraph examiner laughed and said that I would not learn anything new about myself. The team said that this is an extremely nervous process, high-class specialists are working. They are able to shake even very calm people who think that they are in control of the situation and are able to deceive the technique.
During the attack, we stopped a number of servers, conducted a full audit of the code, audited our balances, performed a full check of our servers, and this is a very large number. And only after all the actions do we launch the platform, opening the conclusions first. Back then we talked about an independent audit, and I do not refuse these words.