The Ethereum Classic attacker has made off again with yet more millions.
That fact was revealed today in a follow-up analysis performed by blockchain intelligence firm Bitquery. It shows how more than 465,000 ETC were allocated for a potential double-spend attack against exchanges, with nearly $1.7 million worth successfully converted out of the vulnerable currency and into other digital assets.
The Bitquery analysis finds that the attacker employed the same methodology as the earlier July 31 attack, including the purchase of hash power from Nicehash provider daggerhashimoto.
The only notable change was the source of ETC sent to exchanges in transactions that were later overwritten; this time, those funds came from walletswallets that received funds in the previous attack, instead of moving ETC off of exchanges to be able to send them back later.
The attacker was able to successfully spend approximately 143,000 ETC on an exchange identified as Bitfinex worth an estimated $1 million. A second exchange Bitquery was unable to identify was also attacked for about $680,000. The exploit, during which the attacker sent ETC to the exchanges while mining their own blocks to “delete” those transactions later, lasted about 15 hours in total.
Following the 51% attacks and analysis that confirmed the amounts stolen and multiple addresses associated with the attacker, Ethereum Classic Labs enlisted the help of law firm Kobre and Kim and blockchain forensics firm CipherTrace to bring the offender to justice. CipherTrace CEO Dave Jevans indicated that both the theft of exchange funds and the violation of the integrity of the Ethereum Classic blockchain itself were grounds for legal action.
Ethereum Classic Labs has enlisted the help of law firm Kobre & Kim LLP and crypto intelligence company CipherTrace to pursue the individuals responsible for the two recent 51% attacks on Ethereum Classic’s blockchain—both technically and legally.
“We’ve engaged Kobre & Kim and CipherTrace to assist in the investigation and pursuit of criminal charges against the perpetrators of the recent attacks on ETC,” said Terry Culver, the CEO of ETC Labs, adding, “Together we will cooperate with stakehold...
Given the magnitude of theft associated with the recent ETC 51% attacks and the apparent repeatability of the exploit, many, including EthereumEthereum creator Vitalik Buterin are beginning to seriously question the security decisions of the ETC community, suggesting the risk of a shift to proof-of-stake consensus hardly seems greater than the risk of continued attacks.
With millions flowing out the door seemingly every other day, it’s hard to argue substantial changes aren’t needed, and fast.
Daily Debrief Newsletter
Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
As catastrophic floods ravage central Texas and North Carolina, emergency responders are using professional and military-grade drones with infrared and real-time video to map flood zones, locate stranded victims, and direct rescue teams.
In Texas, MQ-9 Reapers flying 18,000 feet above the impacted area assisted first responders in locating missing victims of the flooding, including those from Camp Mystic, a summer camp where 27 children and counselors lost their lives.
But while drones assist in...
Minna Bank, Japan’s first digital-only bank and a subsidiary of Fukuoka Financial Group, announced Thursday it is exploring the use of stablecoins and digital wallets to support everyday financial services and payments in the country.
The initiative is part of a joint study in collaboration with Fireblocks, Solana Japan, and Japanese tech firm TIS, aiming to assess the practical applications of stablecoins and decentralized wallets in real-world banking.
The study will examine use cases includin...
If you follow the latest in Bitcoin happenings, then you may have seen the name “Alkanes” pop up on your timeline via Ordinals and Runes enjoyers. But what is it?
Alkanes is a new metaprotocol built on Bitcoin that introduces trustless smart contract functionality to the base layer, without relying on bridges or external execution layers. It allows developers to build apps and launch tokens natively on Bitcoin, expanding the functionality of the original blockchain.
Developed by Oyl Corp, the pr...