Crypto Suffers Devastating $347 Million Loss in May Amidst Surge in Hacks and Scams

The cryptocurrency landscape experienced a significant downturn in May, with a staggering $347.3 million lost due to a wave of sophisticated hacks, exit scams, and flash loan attacks. This alarming figure highlights the persistent security vulnerabilities within the digital asset space and the ongoing threats faced by investors and platforms.

Key Takeaways

• A total of $347.3 million in cryptocurrency was lost in May.
• The DMM Bitcoin hack accounted for the largest single loss at $304.7 million.
• Gala Games mitigated a significant portion of its losses, reducing a $200 million exploit to $21.6 million.
• Flash loan attacks resulted in $20.7 million in losses, with Sonne Finance being a major victim.
• Exit scams contributed approximately $1.8 million to the total losses.

DMM Bitcoin Hack Leads the Pack

The most substantial loss occurred on May 31st, when DMM Bitcoin reported a hack that drained 4,502.9 BTC, valued at approximately $304.7 million at the time. Investigations revealed that the stolen funds were distributed across ten different wallet addresses. While DMM Bitcoin assured customers that their deposits remain guaranteed, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Gala Games Mitigates Major Exploit

In another significant event, the popular Web3 gaming platform Gala Games fell victim to an exploit that allowed a hacker to mint five billion tokens, worth an estimated $200 million. However, through swift action and collaboration with Binance and law enforcement, Gala Games managed to recover most of the stolen assets. This cooperative effort significantly reduced their net loss to $21.6 million, demonstrating the potential for recovery through industry partnerships.

Flash Loans and Exit Scams Continue to Plague the Ecosystem

May also saw considerable losses attributed to flash loans, with a total of $20.7 million lost in these types of attacks. Sonne Finance was particularly affected, losing $20 million during a protocol transition. The attack exploited a vulnerability that allowed the perpetrator to manipulate various digital assets within Sonne's ecosystem before converting them into Bitcoin and Ethereum. Additionally, exit scams, often referred to as rug pulls, continued to impact the market, with approximately $1.8 million lost in these fraudulent activities.

These figures underscore the critical need for enhanced security measures and vigilance within the cryptocurrency industry to protect assets and maintain trust.

Sources

• $347M In Crypto Lost In May From Hack, Scam, Flash Loan, blockzeit.com.