Tangem Wallet Laser Fault-Injection Password Reset Attack
First seen Jul 13, 2026 · Updated Jul 13, 2026
Ledger's Donjon security team demonstrated a physical fault-injection attack using a precisely timed laser pulse against the secure chip in Tangem crypto wallet cards, allowing an attacker to reset the card's password without knowledge of the original credential. Once reset, the attacker gains full control of the wallet and can transfer out any stored funds. The attack requires specialized equipment, physical possession of the card, and cannot be remediated via software patch since it exploits hardware-level fault injection.
Technical Analysis
The attack leverages laser fault injection (a form of hardware glitching) targeting the secure element chip inside Tangem cards to disrupt the normal execution flow during password verification, forcing the chip to accept an attacker-chosen password reset. This class of attack is well-documented against smart cards and secure microcontrollers, where precisely timed electromagnetic or optical pulses induce bit-flips or skip critical authentication checks. Because the vulnerability is rooted in the physical chip design rather than firmware logic, it cannot be fixed through a software or firmware update, requiring hardware revision for full mitigation. Exploitation requires expensive lab equipment, physical possession of the card, and significant technical expertise, making it a low-probability but high-impact threat primarily relevant to targeted, high-value theft scenarios rather than mass exploitation. There is no plausible direct impact to AI agent systems, RAG pipelines, or LLM tool-use frameworks, as this is a physical hardware attack against a standalone cryptocurrency hardware wallet unrelated to agent infrastructure.
Affected Systems
Tangem crypto wallet cards (all hardware revisions using the currently deployed secure element chip); physical card-based cold storage wallets from Tangem
Indicators of Compromise
- N/A - this is a hardware fault-injection attack technique, not a malware campaign; no file hashes, IPs, or domains applicable
Remediation Steps
- 1
Physical security of wallet cards
Store Tangem cards in secure, access-controlled physical locations to prevent unauthorized physical access required for this attack.
- 2
Monitor for hardware revisions
Track Tangem's response and adopt any hardware-revised cards or chips designed to resist fault-injection attacks.
- 3
Limit high-value storage on vulnerable hardware
For very high-value holdings, consider diversifying across multiple wallet types/vendors and using multi-signature setups to reduce single point-of-failure risk.
- 4
Vendor engagement
Follow official Tangem advisories for guidance, replacement programs, or compensating controls.
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