Oct 2, 2026
Blockstream has refused to pay a ransom for nearly 600 bitcoin still held by hackers who exploited the Liquid Network on September 6, draining approximately 4,000 BTC (worth $320 million) from federation reserves. The attackers had demanded a 10% bounty payment and used on-chain messages to communicate their demands.
Self-described white-hat hackers returned 3,400 of nearly 4,000 bitcoin stolen from the Liquid Network's federation reserves on September 6, but retained approximately 598.5 BTC worth $47 million. The sidechain remains frozen as Blockstream prepares a restart.
Self-described white-hat hackers returned 3,400 of nearly 4,000 bitcoin stolen from the Liquid Network's federation reserves on September 6, but retained approximately 598.5 BTC worth $47 million. The sidechain remains frozen as Blockstream prepares a restart.
Self-described white-hat hackers withdrew approximately 4,000 BTC (worth $320 million) from Blockstream's Liquid Network sidechain on September 6, forcing a network halt. The hackers are holding the funds until developers prove they've patched the critical vulnerability that enabled the exploit.
Bitcoin sidechain Liquid Network paused operations after individuals claiming to be white-hat hackers withdrew approximately 4,000 BTC (worth $320 million) from the network's federation wallet, exploiting a vulnerability in Blockstream's Elements software. The hackers made a conditional offer regarding the funds.
Blockstream's Liquid Network disabled its bridge nodes after approximately 4,000 BTC ($320 million) were withdrawn from the federation wallet to a single address. The withdrawer left an on-chain message stating "we are whitehats."
Zeus Wallet, a self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning Network wallet, shut down its infrastructure on Wednesday after experiencing a cybersecurity incident and is conducting a security audit before restoring services.
Non-custodial Bitcoin bridge Boltz halted all swap services indefinitely after a surge of AI-assisted hacking attempts over recent months outpaced the team's ability to patch vulnerabilities. The service connects Bitcoin's main chain with Lightning Network and Liquid sidechain.
Boltz, a non-custodial Bitcoin bridge enabling swaps between Bitcoin mainchain, Lightning Network, and Liquid sidechain, halted all services on August 3, 2026, citing an escalating wave of automated AI-assisted attacks that its small team could not patch fast enough. No user funds were compromised due to the platform's non-custodial architecture.
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