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BNB Chain 80K Exploit, White Hat Hacker or Active Threat

BNB Chain 80K Exploit, White Hat Hacker or Active Threat?

BNB chain 80K exploit might be the work of a white hat, or ethical hacker, probing for blockchain vulnerabilities. The exploit involved multiple suspicious transactions, resulting in the loss of approximately $80,000 worth of Bitcoin (BTC).

BNB Chain 80K Exploit

While $80,000 is relatively minor compared to typical crypto exploits, it has sparked curiosity regarding the attacker’s motives. On-chain security firm Cyvers speculates that the unknown attacker might be an ethical hacker, noting in a May 28 X post:

“The total loss is approximately $80K. The attacker received funding via TornadoCash and has also interacted with the Binance exchange, indicating a possible white hat action.”

https://twitter.com/CyversAlerts/status/1795375464107614485

Despite using Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixing service, the attacker’s interaction with Binance, a major centralized exchange that enforces Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols, suggests a white hat motive. Malicious hackers usually avoid centralized exchanges like Binance to prevent revealing their identities.

Gala Games Exploit

Interestingly, the BNB Chain exploit follows a recent pattern of hackers returning stolen funds. For instance, last week, Gala Games was exploited for $23 million worth of GALA tokens. Gala Games’ co-founder and CEO, Eric Schiermeyer, attributed the exploit to a lapse in internal controls, which has since been resolved.

In a surprising twist, the hacker returned $22.3 million worth of Ether (ETH), nearly matching the market value of the stolen GALA tokens. This return occurred after Schiermeyer revealed the attacker’s identity and home address in a May 20 X and Discord post.

Return of the Stolen funds

Earlier this month, $71 million worth of cryptocurrencies stolen in a wallet poisoning scam was returned to the victim. The unknown attacker returned the funds on May 12 after the high-profile incident attracted the attention of multiple blockchain investigation firms.

However, on-chain transactions suggest that this attacker wasn’t an ethical hacker but a malicious actor intimidated by the publicity. These incidents highlight a growing trend in the crypto space where some hacks have unexpected, positive resolutions, underscoring the complex motivations and behaviors of actors within the ecosystem.

Conclusion

To conclude, the BNB Chain 80K exploit and Gala Games recent exploits, alongside the return of stolen funds in other incidents, highlight the complex dynamics within the crypto space. These events suggest a nuanced landscape where the motivations of hackers vary, leading to unexpected and sometimes positive outcomes in the blockchain ecosystem.

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