Blockstream Hackers Turn Bitcoin Into a Wild Onchain Message Board

Hackers Tell Blockstream to ‘Contact Us’ Onchain

It each started this play connected Sept. 6, when purported achromatic hack hackers drained reserves from the Liquid Network’s L-BTC reserves. They came with a connection “we are whitehats. interaction america connected chain” sent successful an OP_RETURN transaction. The Bitcoin blockchain allows users to connect a nationalist enactment to a payment, and during the discussion, some sides person sent each different almost-worthless amounts of bitcoin with abbreviated messages to each other.

Blockstream initially replied by saying “Please interaction [email protected],” and sent different connection with encrypted substance that had a detached PGP signature from [email protected], and this connection cannot beryllium read. The self-described achromatic hats past replied back:

“sending astir backmost to bc1qd…., is that ok”

3,400 BTC Returned While 598.49 BTC Remains With White Hats

It is assumed that the achromatic hats privately provided further details astir the vulnerability. A bid of encrypted, PGP-signed messages followed betwixt the 2 sides. At 16:09 UTC, the radical returned 3,400 BTC to the federation wallet portion retaining 598.49 BTC. It’s beauteous hard to travel the onchain treatment utilizing a blockchain explorer similar mempool.space, arsenic a ample swarm of BTC users are sending particulate to the wallet with their ain unsocial messages.

Meme Coin Scammers, Pleas and Other Scams Flood the Onchain Conversation

Some messengers shilled their meme coins dubbed “WHITE HAT” successful onchain messages sharing Pump.fun URL links and Solana addresses. Others begged for wealth and said they needed funds due to the fact that they were retired of enactment oregon for an alleged sick household member. Others described ways to launder the BTC done mixing services and utilizing the privacy-centric Monero blockchain. Some messages utilized scam tactics similar shady doubler-schemes and told radical to nonstop BTC successful bid to “double their coin.”

Image source: Hacker code showing the onchain connection of 1 idiosyncratic asking for a 10 BTC donation.

Doubler-schemes are ever are ever fraudlent. “Please acquisition 8.5 BTC,” 1 idiosyncratic begged. “No more. No less,” the individual’s OP_RETURN connection said. “I privation for 0.1 BTC for my crypto journey,” different messenger asked the achromatic hats. “Right now, 10 BTC is pennies to you,” different said, insisting that 10 BTC would beryllium “everything” to them. The magnitude of BTC particulate utilized to nonstop countless messages to the achromatic hats is beauteous incredible, and a large bulk of them were meme coin shills.

Nearly 600 BTC Still Held arsenic Liquid Network Remains Frozen

It is inactive chartless wherefore the alleged achromatic hats person kept astir 600 BTC, and connected societal media, galore are saying that this undermines immoderate genuine “white hat” justification. At the aforesaid time, the ensuing onchain sound from particulate messages is inactive filling up with meme coin shillers, hopeless pleas, and ongoing scam pitches. At the clip of penning astatine 10:30 a.m., the Liquid Network is inactive frozen, and the speech betwixt the L2 relation Blockstream and the hackers continues.