Optimism hacker confirms they are whitehat, returns most of stolen funds

2 years ago

Optimism hacker has confirmed they are a whitehat and asked the task developers to stock a instrumentality code for the remaining tokens successful their possession.

The hacker stole 20 cardinal OP tokens from Optimism by exploiting a failed transaction involving liquidity supplier Wintermute.

Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy asked the hacker to instrumentality the stolen funds if they’re whitehat wrong a week. He threatened to dox the hacker if they failed to instrumentality the funds.

Part of the statement reads,

We are 100% committed to returning each the funds, tracking the person(s) liable for the exploit, afloat doxxing them and delivering them to the corresponding juridical system. Remember that robbers request to get fortunate each time. Cops lone person to get fortunate once.

However, it turned retired the hacker was a whitehat aft all. Before returning the funds, the hacker this greeting sent 1 cardinal OP tokens to Vitalik Buterin’s nationalist wallet on with a message that said: 

Hello, Vitalik, I judge successful you, conscionable privation to cognize your sentiment connected this. BTW, assistance to verify the instrumentality address, and I volition instrumentality the remaining aft you. And hullo Wintermute, sorry, I lone person 18M, and this is what I tin return. Stay Optimistic!

Six hours aft that, they started returning the 18 cardinal successful a batch of 1 cardinal per transaction. So far, the hacker has sent 17 cardinal OP tokens to a wallet Gaevoy claimed belongs to Optimism.

🙃

— wishful cynic (@EvgenyGaevoy) June 10, 2022

In absorption to the hacker’s decision, Gaevoy tweeted an upside-down smiley emoji. Optimism besides posted that it has received the stolen crypto portion revealing that Wintermute “has committed to reimbursing the Optimism Foundation.”

Over the past fewer hours, the code opened a enactment of connection with Wintermute on-chain and 17mm of 20mm OP has present been returned. There was besides 1mm sent to @VitalikButerin yesterday (🤷‍♂️) which is being recovered.

We volition proceed to station updates arsenic they travel in.

— Optimism (✨🔴_🔴✨) (@optimismPBC) June 10, 2022

The hacker volition beryllium keeping the remaining 2 cardinal OP tokens arsenic a bounty. Optimism instauration besides confirmed that it is successful the process of recovering the 1 cardinal OP sent to Vitalik Buterin.

The quality of the instrumentality has had a affirmative power connected OP price. The token has risen by 13.2% successful the past 24 hours, making it 1 of the biggest gainers today.

The station Optimism hacker confirms they are whitehat, returns astir of stolen funds appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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