At the end of September, global exchange HTX (renamed Huobi) lost almost $8 million due to an attack. The attacker stole 4,997 ETH (approximately $7.9 million) from the exchange's hot wallet. HTX CEO Justin Sun said that the attacker had already been identified and called for the funds to be returned in exchange for 5% of the white hat within a week. In exchange, Sun promised not to take legal action. 🕵️♂️
A few hours after the attack, Sun reported that all of the stolen ETH was covered by the exchange's reserves. Yesterday afternoon, the funds were returned to the exchange's hot wallet, according to on-chain data. HTX sent the attacker a reward of 250 ETH. It is unclear why the entire amount was returned to the sender before the attacker received the promised reward. This may have been done to eliminate the possibility of a future lawsuit. 💰
A few hours after the attack, Sun reported that all of the stolen ETH was covered by the exchange's reserves. Yesterday afternoon, the funds were returned to the exchange's hot wallet, according to on-chain data. HTX sent the attacker a reward of 250 ETH. It is unclear why the entire amount was returned to the sender before the attacker received the promised reward. This may have been done to eliminate the possibility of a future lawsuit. 💰