FTX Hacker Has Begun Dumping His ETH Holdings, Reveals On-Chain Information

The hacker who used an exploit to steal $600 million (roughly Rs. 4,870 crore) in funds from the now-bankrupt FTX is now slowly trying to convert the looted Ethereum into Bitcoin as a part of their cash-out technique. The pockets transferred 50,000 ETH, price over $59 million (roughly Rs. 479 crore), to a different handle late on Sunday. The receiving handle then swapped ETH for renBTC, a type of Bitcoin that runs on the Ethereum blockchain. After that, the handle made 4 separate swaps totalling roughly $59 million (roughly Rs. 479 crore), in keeping with Etherscan.

The Etherscan knowledge reveals that hacker is utilizing the Ren Bridge, which facilitates cross-blockchain transfers, to maneuver the renBTC to the Bitcoin blockchain as BTC, in keeping with the on-chain researcher ZachXBT. The FTX hacker offloading Ether is the newest growth in a saga that has gripped the cryptocurrency market as one in all its largest and most trusted centralised exchanges collapsed over the span of some days.

The hacker utilizing Ren seems to have piqued additional curiosity amongst researchers as Alameda Analysis, the now-bankrupt sister agency of FTX, purchased off Ren in early February 2021. Within the wake of the agency’s collapse, Ren has said that it solely has sufficient funding to proceed growing its V2 by means of the top of 2022.

It’s price noting that the handle linked to the hacker nonetheless has over 2,00,735 ETH, price round $236 million (roughly Rs. 1,916 crore), in its pockets.

Blockchain safety and analytics agency Chainalysis had beforehand introduced on November 20 that the hacker had bridged the funds and will try to make use of numerous crypto exchanges to get their loot off the blockchain. “Funds stolen from FTX are on the transfer and exchanges must be on excessive alert to freeze them if the hacker makes an attempt to money out,” tweeted Chainalysis.

Responding to the hacker’s swapping of Ether, FTX too urged exchanges to safe funds they obtain that may be traced again to the hacker, in order that they can be utilized within the chapter course of.

“Exchanges must be conscious that sure funds transferred from FTX World and associated debtors with out authorisation on 11/11/22 are being transferred to them by means of intermediate wallets,” FTX stated in a tweet. “Exchanges ought to take all measures to safe these funds to be returned to the chapter property.”