New York prosecutor charges hacker over $9M exploit of Solana-based exchange

1 year ago

A skilled machine information technologist has been charged with ligament fraud and wealth laundering related to an onslaught connected a decentralized exchange.

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New York authoritative   charges hacker implicit    $9M exploit of Solana-based exchange

A erstwhile information technologist for an planetary exertion steadfast has been arrested and charged for allegedly utilizing a astute declaration bug to bargain $9 cardinal successful cryptocurrency from a Solana-based decentralized crypto exchange.

On June 11, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams announced the “first-ever transgression case” involving an onslaught connected a astute declaration operated by a decentralized speech (DEX).

In a statement, Williams claims the accused — Shakeeb Ahmed — “used his expertise to defraud the speech and its users and bargain astir $9 cardinal successful cryptocurrency.”

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams announces the first-ever transgression lawsuit involving an onslaught connected a astute declaration operated by a decentralized cryptocurrency speech pic.twitter.com/j3JPv2L612

— US Attorney SDNY (@SDNYnews) July 11, 2023

Williams said the onslaught was carried retired successful July 2022 and was aimed astatine a Solana-based DEX.

The onslaught progressive exploiting a vulnerability successful the exchange's astute contracts to make inflated fees with flash loans.

These were past withdrawn and laundered done a “series of analyzable transfers connected the blockchain wherever helium swapped cryptocurrencies, hopped crossed antithetic crypto blockchains, and utilized overseas crypto exchanges.”

While Williams did not disclose the DEX that was exploited successful July, erstwhile reporting from Cointelegraph reveals an unknown hacker exploited Solana-based liquidity protocol Crema Finance connected July 2, 2022, stealing $9.6 cardinal successful cryptocurrency.

The exploiter aboriginal returned astir of the funds but was allowed to support $1.6 million arsenic a achromatic chapeau bounty.

Similarly, William’s connection besides noted that Ahmed decided to instrumentality each of the stolen funds but for $1.5 cardinal connected information the crypto speech did not notation the onslaught to instrumentality enforcement.

“None of those actions covered the defendant’s tracks oregon fooled instrumentality enforcement, and they surely didn’t halt my Office oregon our instrumentality enforcement partners from pursuing the money,” helium said.

Ahmed was arrested successful New York and has been indicted connected charges of ligament fraud and wealth laundering related to the onslaught of the Solana-based DEX successful July 2022.

Cointelegraph contacted Crema Finance for clarification but did not instantly person a response.

Related: Crypto hacks and exploits snatch implicit $300M successful Q2 2023

Responding to the caller news, crypto, and startup lawyer "Orlando.btc" commented that the determination could beryllium bully for the wide DeFi ecosystem.

The indictment indicates that the Department of Justice volition “pursue transgression charges if a idiosyncratic intentionally uses a protocol successful a mode that it was not *intended* to beryllium used,”

1/ Today, the US Attorney's Office for SDNY announced transgression charges for exploiting a DEX connected @solana.

What does it mean for the remainder of crypto?

Your favourite startup laminitis & crypto lawyer work the indictment truthful you don't person to.

Let's excavation in.https://t.co/NskuEeWgHn

— orlando.btc ⌐◨-◨ (@Orlando_btc) July 11, 2023

Collect this nonfiction arsenic an NFT to sphere this infinitesimal successful past and amusement your enactment for autarkic journalism successful the crypto space.

Magazine: Should crypto projects ever negociate with hackers? Probably

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