WBTC address poisoner sends nearly all funds back to victim after negotiations

As an experienced cybersecurity analyst, I cannot help but express relief and awe at the recent turn of events in this address poisoning attack case. The attacker’s decision to return over 96% of the stolen funds, worth $65.7 million, is indeed commendable and a testament to the power of negotiation and collaboration in resolving cybersecurity incidents.


As a crypto investor, I’ve closely monitored recent developments regarding the address poisoning attack that saw a user unwittingly sending 1,155 Wrapped Bitcoins (wBTC) worth approximately $68 million at the time to an malicious actor. Encouragingly, data from the blockchain indicates that most of the funds have been returned. The stolen wBTC had earlier been exchanged for Ether during the attacker’s possession, and considering the price volatility of Ethereum, it’s likely that the value of these swapped tokens dropped significantly. Regardless, the return of a substantial portion of the funds offers some relief to the affected community.

As a crypto investor, I’d rephrase it as follows: The hacker returned around 22,960.07 Ether, equivalent to approximately $65.7 million, which represents over 96% of the US dollar value of the initially taken funds.

WBTC address poisoner sends nearly all funds back to victim after negotiations

On May 10, 2023 at 8:47 am UTC, a significant amount of Ether started flowing into a particular account from numerous wallets. The initial transaction consisted of 29.999 ETH, equivalent to approximately $87,199 according to the Ethereum market value then. Over the subsequent day, around 225 separate transactions occurred, with each one transferring between 29 and 67 Ether units to the victim’s address.

WBTC address poisoner sends nearly all funds back to victim after negotiations

By the end of the series of transactions, the wallet had a balance of over 29,000 ETH.

After a back-and-forth conversation between the victim and the perpetrator, the money transfers ensued. Initially, the victim consented to letting the perpetrator keep a 10% share as a reward. Yet, it seems that this arrangement no longer stands as the perpetrator has sent back over 90% of the funds by the time of reporting.

According to a report from Match Systems, a blockchain security platform, they’ve uncovered details that significantly boost the victim’s leverage in negotiations. This discovery suggests that progress is being made among security specialists as they work to identify the perpetrator behind the attack.

Based on the findings in the report, Match Systems took a thorough look into the incident and pinpointed several areas where they could enhance their negotiation tactics for future interactions with the hacker. Successfully implementing these improvements led to the hacker returning all 22,960 ETH that had been stolen back to the victim. At present, the victim expresses no grievances towards the attacker.

CryptoMoon attempted to contact Match Systems to verify the accuracy of the report, but hadn’t received a reply prior to publishing this article.

As a researcher studying the security of cryptocurrencies, I cannot stress enough the importance of taking precautions against poisoning attacks. These malicious acts can result in significant financial losses for unsuspecting users. To minimize the risk, it’s essential to examine the receiving address meticulously before each transaction is processed. This simple yet effective measure can help ensure that your funds are being sent to the intended recipient and not to a potential attacker trying to exploit a poisoning attack.

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2024-05-11 00:18