Poloniex Hack Analysis and Crypto Industry Response

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The Poloniex hack occurred on July 2, 2018, resulting in the loss of approximately $13.5 million in cryptocurrency.

The hack was attributed to a vulnerability in the exchange's cold wallet system, which was exploited by the attackers.

Users who had funds stored in their Poloniex accounts at the time of the hack were affected, with some reporting losses of up to $100,000.

Poloniex's response to the hack was to freeze all withdrawals and conduct an investigation into the incident.

The exchange's cold wallet system was found to be compromised, allowing the attackers to drain funds from the system.

Poloniex's investigation revealed that the hack was carried out by a group of attackers who exploited a vulnerability in the exchange's cold wallet system.

The crypto industry's response to the hack was mixed, with some exchanges and wallets taking steps to improve their security measures.

Poloniex's security measures were criticized for being inadequate, leading to calls for greater regulation and oversight of the crypto industry.

The hack highlighted the need for greater security and transparency in the crypto industry, with many calling for exchanges to implement more robust security measures.

The Hack

Credit: youtube.com, Poloniex Loses $100M? Suspected Hack!

The hackers gained unauthorized access to Poloniex's systems, finding hot wallet private keys stored internally. They escalated their privileges and breached the hot wallets, siphoning off a substantial amount of cryptocurrency.

The attack began with suspicious movements of funds originating from Poloniex hot wallets on Ethereum, Tron, and Bitcoin blockchains. The hackers cleverly maneuvered the stolen assets through multiple wallets, obfuscating the trail and making it challenging to track their movements.

Most losses occurred on the Ethereum Network, while Tron and Bitcoin witnessed movements through 70 hacker-owned cryptocurrency wallets. The funds have not been transferred from the hacker's Bitcoin wallet.

The attacker's strategy involved transferring stolen ERC-20 tokens to various wallets, followed by swapping these tokens for ETH. However, a crucial mistake occurred when dealing with GLM tokens, where over 10.5 million $GLM tokens valued at $2.6 million were erroneously sent to the Golem Network Token contract instead of being swapped for ETH.

Discover more: Crypto Wallet Hacked

Aftermath and Response

Credit: youtube.com, Crypto Exchange Poloniex Hacked of at Least $49 Million

HTX Global and Poloniex are resuming operations, with a focus on allowing deposits and withdrawals for customers.

Sun is offering a "white-hat bounty" to encourage hackers to return the stolen funds, which amounts to 5 percent of the stolen money, equivalent to $5 million.

This bounty aims to incentivize the return of the stolen money, and it's a significant amount to consider.

Stolen Ether Worth $53M Missing

The Poloniex hack in November 2023 resulted in a massive loss of over $100 million worth of Ether.

The stolen funds were moved to a single Tornado Cash address, with over 17,800 Ether transferred from six different wallets at a value of approximately $53.3 million.

Poloniex claimed to have identified the hacker and offered a $10 million bounty, but the stolen funds never made it back to the exchange.

Despite the exchange's efforts, the hacker had no intention of returning the stolen funds, with over half of the loot siphoned across Tornado Cash.

Poloniex owner Justin Sun promised to fully reimburse the users affected by the breach, citing the exchange's "healthy financial position" and potential collaborations with other exchanges to recover the lost funds.

Sun and Crypto Platforms Mitigate Aftermath

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Justin Sun is taking action to help users affected by the recent hack. He's announced an "epic airdrop" that will replace users' funds.

The airdrop is a move to regain user trust and help the platform get back on its feet. This shows that Sun is committed to making things right.

HTX Global and Poloniex are resuming operations, allowing customers to make deposits and withdrawals. This is a step towards normalcy after the hack.

Sun is also offering a "white-hat bounty" of 5 percent of the stolen money, worth $5 million, to encourage hackers to return the stolen funds.

Alexander Kassulke

Lead Assigning Editor

Alexander Kassulke serves as a seasoned Assigning Editor, guiding the content strategy and ensuring a robust coverage of financial markets. His expertise lies in technical analysis, particularly in dissecting indicators that shape market trends. Under his leadership, the publication has expanded its analytical depth, offering readers insightful perspectives on complex financial metrics.

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