A new trend in the crypto space has emerged, where bounties are being offered to hackers to return stolen funds. Huobi Global's crypto exchange, HTX, recently confirmed that it had successfully recovered funds stolen by hackers at the end of September. In response to resolving the issue, the exchange has announced a reward of 250 Ether, demonstrating a novel approach to dealing with security breaches in the crypto world.
The HTX Hack On September 25th, hackers managed to breach HTX's hot wallet and stole a staggering 5,000 ETH, with a value of approximately $8 million at the time. In a swift reaction to the hack, HTX initiated contact with the hackers, asserting that they had identified their identities. Following the identification, HTX proposed a reward of approximately $400,000, equivalent to 5% of the stolen funds, and offered not to pursue legal action if the hackers returned 95% of the funds by the deadline of October 2nd.
Positive Resolution On October 7th, Justin Sun, an advisor to Huobi, announced that the hackers had chosen to return a substantial portion of the stolen assets, marking a positive resolution to the incident. With the majority of the stolen funds now recovered, HTX has fulfilled its commitment by rewarding the hackers with 250 ETH.
Rising Hacking Trends The third quarter of 2023 has witnessed a significant surge in large-scale hacks in the crypto industry. According to a recent report from Immunefi, a blockchain security platform, hacking incidents increased by 153% from July to September 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. Furthermore, in the third quarter of 2023, there were 76 reported hacks targeting crypto and Web3 projects and firms, compared to 30 hacks during the same period in 2022.
Mixin Network Exploit One notable incident involved the exploitation of Mixin Network, a decentralized cross-chain protocol. Attackers compromised a third-party cloud service provider, exploiting approximately $200 million. Mixin Network responded by offering a $20 million bug bounty for the return of the stolen funds, although the likelihood of the funds being returned remains uncertain. The hack on Mixin Network is attributed to the Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacker group.
These recent developments highlight that crypto exchanges are exploring innovative approaches to recover from security breaches, such as offering bounties to hackers. However, securing hot wallets remains a critical aspect of safeguarding customer funds and preventing such incidents in the first place. As the crypto industry continues to evolve, addressing security challenges will be paramount to its growth and stability.
