Binance halts blockchain after reports of a potential hacking attack

07.10.2022 13:15|Conotoxia Ltd Analyst Team

The Binance Coin (BNB) blockchain was put on hold yesterday after reports of potential problems with the 'cross-chain bridge', a critical component of the token network of the world's largest crypto exchange. Hackers allegedly made off with $110 million in BNB tokens.

Hacking attack by issuing additional tokens

The blockchain's operations were halted after a post on its official Twitter account justified the decision with "irregular activity". This was followed by an announcement that technicians were working to restore network operation. 

Twitter had already been hit by rumours of a major cyber attack, which was said to be worth around BNB 2 million, or almost $600 million. Later, however, a leading developer of the cryptocurrency's blockchain confirmed that the attack had taken place, but that the value of the lost funds was between $100 million and $110 million. 

The most likely exploit (the use of bugs in the code) involved attacking the BSC Token Hub and creating additional coins. According to an official statement from Binance, customer funds are safe, and the exchange itself in particular was exposed to the loss, as it was still exchanging the newly created tokens for stablecoins USDC, USDT and BUSD for some time. Hackers then had them exchanged for the equivalent of $57 million in Phantom, $53 million in Ethereum and $400k in Polygon and... disappeared.

Binance Coin drops after the attack 

Binance Coin is the third token in the world in terms of market capitalisation (not including stablecoins) and is an important part of crypto world transfers, especially between exchanges. 

Moments after the first news of the attack on the BNB blockchain, the token dived more than 5 per cent (to $277.5) within two hours, before rebounding and stabilising around $284. At the same time, according to CoinMarketCap data, BNB's trading volume increased by as much as 62.5 % over the past 24 hours and surpassed $1 billion, as uncertainty over the security of the coin grew. 

Binance Coin, hourly candles

binance_wykres

Source: Conotoxia MT5

Today on the Conotoxia MT5 platform at 11:30 GMT+3, BNB is losing around 1%. Since the local peak in early August, BNB has lost more than 13%. 

Rafał Tworkowski, Junior Market Analyst, Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service)

Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

 

Like the article?
Share it with friends!


See also:

Oct 7, 2022 12:26 pm

Dollar exchange rate ahead of NFP

Oct 6, 2022 3:58 pm

Exxon Mobil stocks gain after OPEC+ decision on the biggest oil production cut since 2020

Oct 6, 2022 10:44 am

Oil price rises 10 percent in a week as OPEC cuts production

Oct 5, 2022 4:05 pm

Twitter shares rose after the announcement that Elon Musk would take over Twitter on April's terms

Oct 5, 2022 3:12 pm

Bitcoin and Ethereum are losing along with the rest of the markets after two days of powerful gains - is the Fed's pivot coming?

Oct 5, 2022 9:59 am

Oil price dependent on OPEC decision?

76.23% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76.23% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Trading on CFDs is provided by Conotoxia Ltd. (CySEC no.336/17), which has the right to use the Conotoxia trademark.