Stolen Poloniex Ether worth $53M never made it back to the exchange

As a researcher with a background in blockchain security and cybercrime investigation, I find the Poloniex hack from November 2023 a fascinating case study. The loss of over $100 million worth of Ether was a significant blow to the exchange and its users, leaving many wondering about the security measures in place.


I, as an analyst, have uncovered that approximately 50% of the stolen $100 million in Ether (ETH) from the Poloniex hack in November 2023 has been moved through the privacy protocol, Tornado Cash.

On November 10, 2023, Poloniex cryptocurrency exchange experienced significant unauthorized withdrawals from its wallets. Subsequent investigations revealed that approximately $100 million in Ethereum had been stolen during this incident.

As a researcher investigating the Poloniex hack, I’ve discovered that despite their claim of identifying the culprit weeks later and offering a $10 million bounty, the stolen funds never returned to the exchange. According to my analysis based on the blockchain security firm CertiK’s findings, it appears this was most likely a “private key breach.”

In reaction to the questionable transactions, the exchange briefly suspended the use of the affected digital wallet.

Stolen Poloniex Ether worth $53M never made it back to the exchange

Approximately six months after the Poloniex hack occurred, it came to light that the perpetrator had no plan to restore the stolen funds. The trail of these funds was traced by blockchain investigation company PeckShield, revealing that over half of the ill-gotten gains were moved via Tornado Cash – a method designed to conceal digital assets.

Stolen Poloniex Ether worth $53M never made it back to the exchange

As an analyst, I’ve identified that a hacker transferred a total of 17,800 ETH from six distinct wallets into a solitary Tornado Cash address, as illustrated in the diagram above. At the instant of transfer, the value of these tokens hovered around $53.3 million.

As a crypto investor, I was relieved when Poloniex announced that they had resumed operations following the unfortunate $100 million incident. Now, I can deposit and withdraw my cryptocurrencies freely on their platform once again.

As a crypto investor using Poloniex, I was reassured by the exchange’s decision to bring in a renowned security auditing firm to strengthen the platform’s defenses against potential hacking threats. Previously, there were concerns about vulnerabilities that led to unfortunate incidents. Now, with this expert team on board, I feel more confident that my funds will be better safeguarded and future hacks can be effectively prevented.

“Currently, they are in the final stages of the security audit and verification processes for Poloniex. Upon completion of the audit, we will promptly resume deposit and withdrawal services on our platform.”

Justin Sun, the proprietor of Poloniex who took over in 2019, pledged to repay in full those users impacted by the security incident. He assured that Poloniex possesses a robust financial status and is actively pursuing partnerships with other exchanges to recoup the misappropriated funds.

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2024-05-14 11:18