cryptonews.com
$HTX, the crypto exchange operated by Huobi Global, has successfully regained the funds that were stolen by a hacker in a security breach that occurred in late September.
After reseiving the funds, $HTX also offered the hacker a 250 Ether bounty as a token of appreciation.
"We have confirmed that the hacker has fully returned all funds, as promised, and we have also paid the hack a white hat bonus of 250 $ETH," Huobi Global investor and $HTX adviser Justin Sun said in a recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
Sun also emphasized the ongoing commitment to strengthening blockchain security and protecting user assets, acknowledging the challenges associated with this task and expressing appreciation for the support of $HTX's users and community.
As reported, $HTX experienced a security breach in late September that resulted in the loss of $8 million worth of crypto assets.
The breach involved the draining of 5,000 $ETH from one of $HTX's hot wallets.
Following the hack, $HTX promptly reached out to the hacker and claimed to have identified their identity.
In an effort to recover the stolen funds, $HTX offered a 5% bounty amounting to around $400,000 and proposed not to pursue any legal action if 95% of the funds were returned before the deadline of October 2.
Hacks Continue to Plague the Crypto Space
The incident involving $HTX is one among several security breaches that have plagued the crypto space in the third quarter of 2023.
According to a report by blockchain security platform Immunefi, there were 76 hacks on crypto and Web3 projects and firms in Q3 2023, a significant increase compared to the 30 hacks reported in the same period in 2022.
In total, approximately $332 million has been lost to various exploits, hacks, and scams throughout September, marking a record-high month for crypto exploits.
One notable event was the Mixin Network attack on September 23. The Hong Kong-based decentralized cross-chain transfer protocol suffered a substantial breach, resulting in a loss of $200 million due to a breach of its cloud service provider.
Another major incident occurred on September 12, when CoinEx, a cryptocurrency exchange, experienced a suspected attack following a substantial outflow from four of its hot wallets. This breach led to losses exceeding $53.1 million across the hot wallets.
More recently, Stars Arena, a social platform supported by Avalanche's Contract Chain, has fallen victim to a significant security breach.
In a Saturday tweet, the official Stars Arena Twitter account issued a warning confirming that the platform's smart contract had been attacked.
The team urged users not to deposit any funds while the issue was being investigated.