Ethereum

Cash

Size

Verus

Tornado Cash

<h3 id="what-to-know">What to know:</h3>
<ul>
 <li>Blockaid traced stolen bridge assets while attackers converted funds into Ethereum.</li>
 <li>GoPlus identified a possible validation bypass vulnerability affecting the Verus bridge reserve security.</li>
 <li>Verus remained silent as investigators monitored stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets.</li>
</ul>
Blockaid has reported a major exploit targeting the Verus Ethereum bridge, with attackers draining more than $11.5 million worth of crypto assets from the protocol’s reserves while investigators continued tracing the movement of the stolen funds across several Ethereum wallets. 
<a href="https://x.com/blockaid_/status/2056176908333654293" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">According to Blockaid</a>, the attacker operated through wallet address “0x5aBb…D5777,” while the stolen assets were later transferred into another wallet identified as “0x65C…C25F9,” with the security platform sharing the findings through a detailed update posted on X late Sunday. 
Meanwhile, PeckShield disclosed that the exploit drained 103.6 tBTC, 1,625 ETH, and nearly 147,000 USDC from the Verus-Ethereum bridge reserves, before the attacker eventually converted the stolen assets into roughly 5,402 ETH valued at approximately $11.4 million. 
Additionally, PeckShield revealed that the attacker’s wallet initially received 1 ETH through Tornado Cash nearly 14 hours before the exploit unfolded, a detail that immediately attracted attention because attackers frequently use crypto mixers to obscure transaction origins before executing large-scale blockchain exploits. 
Bridge-related attacks have continued, creating significant concerns across <a href="https://36crypto.com/what-is-decentralized-finance-defi-and-how-does-it-work/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">decentralized finance</a> markets because attackers consistently target weaknesses tied to cross-chain communication systems, transaction validation mechanisms, and reserve management structures used by interoperability protocols. 
<div class="embed-twitter">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 Attacker EOA: 0x5aBb91B9c01A5Ed3aE762d32B236595B459D5777 Drainer wallet (still holding the funds): 0x65Cb8b128Bf6e690761044CCECA422bb239C25F9 
 Exploit tx: <a href="https://t.co/OqBh2alXGc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://t.co/OqBh2alXGc</a> Bridge contract: <a href="https://t.co/EN3LkDfId9" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://t.co/EN3LkDfId9</a> 
 — Blockaid (@blockaid_) <a href="https://twitter.com/blockaid_/status/2056176908333654293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">May 18, 2026</a> 
 </blockquote>
</div>
Also Read: <a href="https://36crypto.com/bitcoin-btc-falls-below-77000-as-broader-crypto-market-extends-daily-losses/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin (BTC) Falls Below $77,000 as Broader Crypto Market Extends Daily Losses</a> 
<h2 id="goplus-points-to-possible-validation-bypass">GoPlus Points to Possible Validation Bypass</h2>
GoPlus also <a href="https://x.com/GoPlusZH/status/2056186563210662298" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">released</a> additional technical observations surrounding the exploit process, explaining that the attacker initially submitted a low-value transaction before triggering a bridge contract function that batch-transferred reserve assets directly into the drainer wallet. 
Moreover, according to GoPlus, the exploit likely involved cross-chain message validation forgery, withdrawal logic bypass, or an access control vulnerability affecting the bridge infrastructure, with the firm noting that similar weaknesses have contributed to several major bridge-related exploits recorded throughout recent years. 
<div class="embed-twitter">
 <blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
 <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f6a8.png" alt="🚨">GoPlus安全警报：<a href="https://twitter.com/VerusCoin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">@veruscoin</a> 的 Verus-Ethereum Bridge 被攻击，损失约1150万美元 
 攻击者通过桥合约单笔交易从 Ethereum 侧转移大量资产（1,625 ETH + 103.57 tBTC + 147k USDC）。 
 这是 2026 年桥相关攻击的又一典型案例，此前 Kelp DAO、Hyperbridge 等桥已累计损失数亿美元。… <a href="https://t.co/SB7JmfHggl" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pic.twitter.com/SB7JmfHggl</a> 
 — GoPlus中文社区 (@GoPlusZH) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoPlusZH/status/2056186563210662298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">May 18, 2026</a> 
 </blockquote>
</div>
Verus launched its Ethereum bridge in October 2023 to facilitate transfers between the Verus blockchain and Ethereum, although the latest exploit has now placed renewed scrutiny on the project’s bridge <a href="https://36crypto.com/thorchain-hack-exposes-major-security-flaw-as-10m-recovery-plan-launches/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">security architecture</a> and reserve protection systems. 
Besides the direct financial losses, the incident has also intensified broader concerns surrounding interoperability protocols across the blockchain industry because several bridge exploits recorded over recent years exposed weaknesses tied to signature verification systems and transaction approval mechanisms. 
Verus has not publicly commented on the exploit as of publication, although blockchain investigators and security firms continue monitoring the movement of the stolen Ethereum across multiple wallets connected to the attacker. 
The Verus exploit adds another major bridge-related security breach to the growing list of decentralized finance attacks recorded this year, while also highlighting how cross-chain infrastructure remains vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated blockchain exploits targeting validation and reserve management systems. 
Also Read: <a href="https://36crypto.com/vitalik-buterin-rejects-ethereum-storage-proposal-as-state-size-crisis-grows/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Vitalik Buterin Rejects Ethereum Storage Proposal as State Size Crisis Grows</a> 
The post <a href="https://36crypto.com/verus-bridge-hack-drains-11-5m-in-ethereum-assets-through-exploit-attack/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Verus Bridge Hack Drains $11.5M in Ethereum Assets Through Exploit Attack</a> appeared first on <a href="https://36crypto.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">36Crypto</a>.

Verus Bridge Hack Drains $11.5M in Ethereum Assets Through Exploit Attack

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