The Poly Network hacking saga has finally reached a happy ending with the crypto thieves releasing the last key to the remaining funds of 28,953 Ether and 1,032 Wrapped Bitcoin tokens, worth approximately US$141 million, on Monday. According to Poly Network, the company is in the process of returning full asset control to users, although US$33 million worth of Tether tokens frozen post-attack are still immovable.
Fast facts
- According to a tweet by blockchain investigation firm Elliptic’s co-founder Tom Robinson, the hackers have also returned the US$500,000 bug bounty paid by Poly Network, along with donations they had collected to compensate victims of the hack.
- The Poly Network attack was the largest hack in DeFi history with the total haul amounting to over US$600 million. It is also one of the most curious cases of hacking where the hackers have not only returned the stolen assets, but were offered a job and a bounty.
- In messages embedded on Ethereum and tweeted by Robinson, the hackers wrote: “Keep calm and this is the happy ending … I’m quitting the show.” In the same message, the hackers publicly posted the private key that finally transferred control of the stolen assets back to Poly Network.
- The hackers further said: “During all the negotiation, my only request, which was also the only reason for slow refund, was to unlock the [frozen] USDT. In my selfish view, the story is tainted by the locked USDT.”
