Bitcoin miner NiceHash reports hack, theft of its "wallet"

TOKYO (AP) — The Slovenian-based bitcoin miner NiceHash says it is investigating a security breach and the possible theft of tens of millions of dollars' worth of bitcoins, as meanwhile the value of the virtual currency has soared to a new record high.

NiceHash said Thursday in a statement posted on its website that it had stopped operations for 24 hours and was working to verify how many bitcoins were taken.

There was no immediate response from NiceHash to an emailed request for more details. Unconfirmed reports said more than 4,000 bitcoins were missing valued at more than $60 million.

"The incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are cooperating with them as a matter of urgency," it said.