The decentralized finance (DeFi) space has seen its fair share of exploits and hacks, but a recent incident has taken an ironic twist. The hacker involved in the $9.6 million exploit of the zkLend protocol is now claiming to have lost a substantial amount of their stolen funds—2,930 Ether, valued at approximately $5.4 million—to a phishing website masquerading as Tornado Cash.
In messages conveyed through Etherscan, the hacker expressed their devastation, stating, “Hello, I tried to move funds to a Tornado, but I used a phishing website, and all the funds have been lost. I am devastated. I am terribly sorry for all the havoc and losses caused.” This unexpected turn of events highlights the ever-present dangers within the cryptocurrency landscape, where scams and phishing attempts are rampant.
As reported, on March 31, the hacker executed a series of transactions, transferring 100 Ether at a time to an address named Tornado.Cash: Router, culminating in three deposits of 10 Ether each. Following this unfortunate mistake, they pleaded for efforts to be redirected towards the phishing site’s owners, claiming they were now left with nothing: “All the 2,930 Eth have been taken by that site owners. I do not have coins. Please redirect your efforts towards those site owners to see if you can recover some of the money.”
Despite the hacker’s claims, zkLend has responded by asking them to return the remaining funds still in their possession. However, recent Etherscan data reveals that an additional 25 Ether was sent to another wallet, further complicating the situation. In a further twist, warnings from other users about the fraudulent website went unheeded, with one user remarking, “don’t celebrate,” indicating that the funds were irretrievably lost.
This incident serves as a cautionary tale for all crypto users. The decentralized financial ecosystem is vulnerable to malicious actors, and participants must remain vigilant to safeguard their assets. In light of this exploit and subsequent phishing incident, security measures within decentralized finance platforms are being called into question. Moreover, with the total losses to crypto scams and hacks soaring beyond $33 million in recent months, it’s clear that both individuals and platforms need to enhance their security protocols.
While zkLend attempted to reach out to recover the stolen funds, it remains uncertain whether any progress will be made in apprehending the fraudsters behind the phishing site. Crypto enthusiasts are left to wonder: how many other hackers might also fall victim to their own misguided attempts at laundering stolen assets?
