Aethir Dodges Major Crisis After Containing Bridge Hack: Losses Stay Under $90K

Aethir, a decentralized GPU cloud network providing scalable computing power for AI and gaming, confirmed that it had detected and contained a malicious attack targeting its $ATH bridge contracts linking Ethereum to other chains.

The team behind the platform said that all compromised contracts were promptly disconnected, thereby successfully halting the exploit. It added that the main $ATH supply on Ethereum remains fully intact, and the ETH-ARB bridge on Squid was not affected.

Hackers Hit Aethir Bridge

According to the official update, user losses were limited to under $90,000, and a full compensation plan will be announced next week. Aethir also said it is working with authorities and partner exchanges to trace the attackers and freeze associated funds. It credited several platforms, including Binance, Upbit, Bithumb, and HTX, for quickly blacklisting identified wallets, which helped limit the damage.

The firm also acknowledged blockchain security team ZeroShadow for its analysis. It added,

“A full attacker wallet list will be posted in Discord as we monitor the funds. Also, a detailed memo will be posted in Discord, including what happened, which users were affected, and how compensation will work. We appreciate the community’s patience and support. Aethir remains fully operational.”

The announcement followed a report by PeckShield, which had flagged the exploit a day earlier. The blockchain security company had initially estimated losses to be around $400,000 and stated that the attacker bridged funds from $BNB Chain to Tron across multiple addresses.

Rising Attacks

PeckShield had recently reported that total losses in crypto-related security breaches climbed to roughly $52 million from 20 incidents, nearly doubling February’s figures. There was an emerging pattern referred to as “shadow contagion,” where the impact of a single exploit spread across multiple DeFi platforms.

Instead of remaining isolated, attacks are now disrupting interconnected systems by creating bad debt, weakening liquidity pools, and putting pressure on lending markets beyond the initially targeted protocol.

One major case involved ResolvLabs, where attackers exploited a flaw in its cloud-based key system to mint large amounts of tokens. This led to losses of around $25 million and knock-on effects for platforms like MorphoBlue and Euler Finance.

In another incident, an attacker exploited a donation flaw in Venus Protocol on $BNB Chain, which allowed a trader to exceed collateral limits, borrow millions, and leave behind unpaid debt despite ultimately losing funds. PeckShield also pointed out targeted attacks on individuals, including a multimillion-dollar theft involving social engineering on Kraken.

The trend has continued into April, as seen with a major exploit affecting Drift Protocol.