A decentralized finance (DeFi) company named 'Drift' announced the suspension of withdrawals and deposits after a security incident was confirmed. The cryptocurrency platform stated in a post shared on X that it was 'facing an active attack' and was working to 'contain' the incident.
Redaksiya reports that security researchers and public blockchain data indicate that the losses could be substantial. Blockchain security firm CertiK stated on X that hackers may have stolen approximately $136 million USD. Crypto analytics firm Arkham, however, estimated the stolen amount to be around $285 million USD. If these figures are confirmed, the Drift hack could be the largest crypto theft of the year; this is referenced by the Rekt leaderboard. The Rekt leaderboard is a site that tracks crypto thefts by their size.
It is still unclear who is behind the attack, and a representative for Drift did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Security companies report that last year, most crypto thefts were carried out by North Korea, acquiring at least $2 billion USD in stolen cryptocurrency. These funds are believed to be used to finance its nuclear weapons program and to circumvent international sanctions that restrict access to the global financial system.