NiceHash

• 1. Founding And Origins

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  In 2014, two university students in Slovenia launched a platform that would become NiceHash. Marko Kobal and Matjaž Škorjanc built software allowing people to buy and sell computer processing power for mining cryptocurrency. The company started as a project between friends studying at the University of Maribor. They created an open marketplace where sellers could rent out their hardware and buyers could purchase hashing capacity. This model differed from traditional exchanges by focusing on raw computing resources rather than just trading coins. The founders operated from Slovenia while later registering the business entity in The British Virgin Islands.

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• 2. The Great Bitcoin Heist

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  On the 6th of December 2017, attackers stole approximately 4,700 Bitcoins from the NiceHash platform. At that moment, those stolen coins were worth about US$64 million. Investigators determined the breach occurred through a spear phishing attack targeting employees or system access points. The loss represented one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts up to that time. Within days, the company faced immediate operational crisis and public scrutiny. On the 21st of December 2017, co-founder Marko Kobal resigned as CEO following the incident. Despite the massive financial hit, the team managed to reopen the marketplace shortly after his departure.

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• 3. Lazarus Group Indictment

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  Federal prosecutors in the United States charged the North Korean hacker group Lazarus with orchestrating the 2017 theft. The indictment was officially filed on the 17th of February 2021. Authorities alleged the state-sponsored group used sophisticated social engineering tactics to gain unauthorized access to NiceHash systems. This legal action connected a specific criminal event to a broader pattern of cyber warfare attributed to North Korea. The case highlighted how national intelligence agencies could be involved in large-scale digital asset seizures. It also demonstrated the international reach of cryptocurrency crime investigations involving multiple jurisdictions.

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• 4. Founder's Criminal Past

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  Matjaž Škorjanc had previously created malware known as the Mariposa botnet before founding NiceHash. He served four years and ten months in a Slovenian prison for those earlier activities. US law enforcement reopened an investigation into the Mariposa operations on the 5th of June 2019. The FBI issued new arrest warrants against Škorjanc and three other suspects that same year. He was detained in Germany for eight months during 2019 while extradition proceedings took place. German and Slovenian courts rejected American requests for his transfer due to double jeopardy laws. Škorjanc was released from custody in 2020 after these legal barriers blocked his return to the United States.

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• 5. Corporate Restructuring And Leadership

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  In 2024, Matjaž Škorjanc announced that Vladimir Hozjan would take over as CEO of NiceHash. This leadership change marked a shift following the resignation of Marko Kobal seven years prior. The company maintained its base in The British Virgin Islands with operational offices in Maribor, Slovenia. New management aimed to stabilize the platform after years of high-profile security incidents and legal challenges. The transition reflected ongoing efforts to rebuild trust within the cryptocurrency community. Hozjan's appointment signaled a fresh chapter for the organization established by former university students.

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