Security Incidents

Rhea Finance suffered an oracle manipulation attack on the NEAR Protocol, with losses reaching $18.4 million—double the initial estimate. The attacker manipulated the pricing of a fake token, causing collateral valuations to be incorrect. Tether froze about $4.34 million in USDT; the attacker returned roughly $3.5 million. To date, more than $7.8 million has been recovered, highlighting the importance of oracle security.

Vitalik Buterin warned on April 18 about an attack on the DNS registrar for eth.limo, urging users to avoid accessing vitalik.eth.limo and related pages. He recommended using IPFS as an alternative until the issue is resolved.

Grinex, a sanctioned crypto-ruble exchange, has halted operations due to a cyberattack that stole over $13.74 million in USDT. The attack is believed to involve state-level actors aiming to destabilize Russia's financial system. Grinex is cooperating with law enforcement but has no timeline for resuming services.

Figure Technology Solutions faced allegations from Morpheus Research of overstating its blockchain technology use, resulting in a significant drop in share prices. Figure defended its operations, highlighting its digital asset features and strong performance metrics.

Robert Dunlap, a Houston entrepreneur, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for a $20 million cryptocurrency fraud involving fake assets and deceptive practices, impacting over 1,000 victims. His case reflects a broader rise in crypto-related cybercrimes.

SlowMist's security team has warned of a social engineering campaign targeting cryptocurrency users. Fraudsters are posing as project partners to trick users into downloading a malicious application disguised as a translation tool. Users are advised to verify software authenticity.

Zonda CEO Przemysław Kral has attributed the exchange's loss of access to 4,500 BTC, valued at $336 million, to missing founder Sylwester Suszek's failure to transfer private keys. Amid allegations of bankruptcy and intensified withdrawal requests, Kral insists Zonda remains solvent and will pursue legal action while searching for Suszek, who disappeared in 2022.

Grinex, a Kyrgyz crypto exchange, suspended trading after a cyberattack resulting in losses of around $15 million. The advanced nature of the attack points to organized or state-level involvement. Grinex has reported the incident to authorities and is assessing the damage.

Tether froze $3.29 million in USDT linked to Rhea Finance exploit, ensuring user protection and ecosystem trust. Blockchain tracking enabled this action against suspicious wallets after attackers moved funds to evade detection.

Circle Internet Group's stock fell 1% after a class action lawsuit alleged it failed to prevent $230 million in stolen USDC during the Drift Protocol exploit. The lawsuit questions Circle's ability to halt the attackers' transactions, raising issues of responsibility for stablecoin issuers in breach scenarios.

The Ethereum Foundation's ETH Rangers Program revealed a major security threat from North Korean operatives infiltrating Web3 companies. The investigation uncovered about 100 operatives, flagged 53 projects, and recovered over $5.8 million. The foundation urges improved hiring processes and global cooperation for enhanced security.

James Wynn launched a memecoin presale, $ASSDAQ, on Solana, raising just $8,000 in ten hours, attracting criticism over past scam allegations. Despite Wynn's claims of trading success, market reluctance signals skepticism about his new project.

CoW Swap, the Ethereum-based decentralized exchange aggregator, paused its protocol on April 14, 2026, after attackers seized control of its website domain and redirected users to a malicious site engineered to harvest wallet approvals, with cybersecurity researcher Vladimir S. estimating

Bitcoin developers are working on BIP-361 to protect against quantum computing threats by migrating funds to safer formats, potentially freezing 1.7 million BTC. Charles Hoskinson critiques the plan, arguing it may lead to permanent freezing of vulnerable coins. The debate highlights tensions in adapting Bitcoin's protocols.

Drift Protocol faced a $280 million loss due to a hack, prompting Tether to launch a $150 million recovery plan, switching settlement assets to USDT. Meanwhile, Circle faces a lawsuit for failing to freeze stolen funds, highlighting regulatory ambiguities in the crypto industry.

Circle Internet Group is facing a class action lawsuit for failing to quickly halt a $280 million exploit involving its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol, as investors claim it could have intervened. The lawsuit highlights Circle's prior ability to freeze funds, raising questions about their responsiveness.

According to an ETH Rangers project recap report published by the Ethereum Foundation on April 17, 2026 (Thursday), within its six-month funding period the Ketman project funded by the Ethereum Foundation identified 100 North Korean IT workers using false identities to infiltrate Web3 organizations, and contacted roughly 53 crypto projects to warn them they may have hired active North Korean agents.

A cyberattack on Grinex, a Kyrgyzstan cryptocurrency exchange, exposed a network allegedly helping Russia evade sanctions. Hackers stole $15 million, targeting Grinex and the linked TokenSpot. Grinex, viewed as a continuation of the sanctioned Garantex, faces scrutiny for facilitating transactions linked to sanctioned entities.

Polymarket has initiated an audit of its Builders Program after finding third-party tools that may facilitate insider trading by mimicking successful trades. The review follows scrutiny over potential market abuse linked to these apps.

CoW Swap suspended its protocol on April 14, 2026, after a DNS hijacking redirected users to a phishing site. The platform's security firm alerted users to revoke wallet approvals. The underlying smart contracts were safe, but backend and APIs were paused as a precaution.