2021-8-15 17:15 |
More than $342 of the $600 million stolen in one of the biggest crypto exchange hacks in history has been returned to Poly Network customers, CNBC reported. The remaining $268 million of assets remains locked, however. To release the assets, both Poly and the hackers must provide passwords to access the respective account. This means the hacker could still make the funds inaccessible if they wished according to Tom Robinson, chief scientist of blockchain analytics firm Elliptic.
A Record HeistPoly Network is a decentralized finance system that utilizes the blockchain to replicate trading, loans, and other conventional financial services. The system enables users to transfer tokens from one blockchain to another. The hacker took advantage of a vulnerability in Poly Network’s code and moved tokens to his own crypto wallets. As a result, Poly lost more than $610 million, calling the heist “the biggest in defi history.”
Just for fun?The perpetrator claims they stole the assets “for fun” and never had any intention to keep them. They said they would “provide the final key when _everyone_ is ready” in a statement embedded in a digital currency transaction. They also claimed the exchange had offered them a reward of $500,000 to return the funds, which they rejected.
Stricter regulations will deter cybercriminalsCryptocurrencies have so far been a boon to cybercriminals, who have specialized in ransomware attacks. These are where they steal data or lock down company or other systems and demand a ransom payment to restore access. The anonymity of transactions has made this possible. With stricter regulations, there are hopes at least some of these crimes will be deterred. What’s more, blockchain analysis makes it possible to trace the location of the funds.
“While the crypto industry still has a long way to go to address the security gaps, as demonstrated by numerous hacks and rug pulls, we expect this type of illicit behaviour to decrease as the industry moves increasingly towards regulation. Token issuers, exchanges and DeFi platforms are beginning to block transactions and publicise any wallet addresses that have been associated with nefarious activity. Increasingly so, platforms and services are adding layers of security and ring fencing participants by insisting they connect their identities, which will ultimately disincentivize bad actors from engaging. The next step is to integrate these controls with DeFi partners to further increase security aspects and allow the ecosystem to develop in a positive direction,” said Timo Lehes, cofounder of Swam Markets, the first German-regulated DeFi platform in a statement obtained by Invezz.
The post Just over half of the $600M stolen from Poly Network returned, hacker must input password to release the rest appeared first on Invezz.
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