Cork Protocol Hacker Strikes Again: Launders Millions and Donates to Tornado Cash Devs!

Holy smokes, the mastermind behind the Cork protocol heist that shook the crypto world earlier this year is back in action, laundering their loot and pulling off a surprising move!

On a wild Wednesday, June 25, the eagle-eyed folks at PeckShield Alert spotted some serious activity from wallet addresses linked to the slick exploiters of the decentralized finance platform, Cork Protocol. This was the first time the hacker made a move since swiping a jaw-dropping $12 million from the protocol back in May.

Get this: the first transaction saw a whopping 1,410 ETH, worth around $3.2 million, getting zapped straight into Tornado Cash, that notorious crypto mixing service that's like a magnet for cyber attackers looking to cover their tracks. But wait, there's more! The attacker didn't stop there – they sent another 3,110 ETH, bringing the total laundered stash to a mind-blowing 4,520 ETH, roughly $11 million at today's prices.

#PeckShieldAlert #CorkProtocol Exploiter 2 – labeled address has transferred a total of 4,520 $ETH (worth ~$11M) to #TornadoCash & donated 10 $ETH to #Juicebox: Free Alexey & Roman (Tornado Cash developers' legal fund)

Now, hold onto your hats, because here comes the twist: this crafty attacker also sent a 10 ETH donation to a Juicebox campaign that's raising funds for the legal defense of Tornado Cash developers, Alexey Pertsev and Roman Storm. Talk about a plot twist!

Nobody knows why the heck the attacker made that donation, but it's happening as the developers face some serious legal heat for letting cybercriminals and sanctioned entities use their mixer. And let me tell you, Tornado Cash has been the go-to tool for laundering stolen crypto assets, especially in those high-profile exploits that make headlines.

The Cork Protocol attacker's latest moves are throwing a wrench into the platform's ongoing efforts to claw back the stolen funds. Just this month, Cork Protocol put out a statement reassuring users that they're still hustling to recover the assets, but with the funds now zapped into Tornado Cash, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

How the Heck Did the Cork Protocol Hack Happen?

The attack on Cork Protocol went down on May 28 around 11:39 UTC, and it zeroed in on the platform's wstETH:weETH market, resulting in a loss of a staggering 3,761 wrapped staked ETH (wstETH).

According to the Cork team, this attacker was a real pro, exploiting not one but two advanced loopholes in the protocol's code to pull off the heist of the century. They even deployed a malicious hook that bypassed the usual validation checks like it was nothing.

Exploit overview:

At 11:39 UTC on May 28, Cork Protocol got hit hard, with 3,761 wstETH getting yanked right out of the wstETH:weETH market.

The attacker was a master of manipulation, targeting two sophisticated edge cases:

• Vector 1: They played around with rollover pricing just before expiry, buying up 3,761...

After draining the funds, the attacker used decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch to swap the assets, making them even harder to trace or recover. It's like watching a high-stakes game of cat and mouse!

But don't worry, Cork Protocol isn't throwing in the towel just yet. They're working hand-in-hand with security partners to clean up the mess and beef up their defenses, so they can put up a fight against any future attacks that come knocking.