- Crypto exchange AscendEX lost about $77.7 million to hackers.
- The exchange lost tokens on Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polygon.
- Also, AscendEX token ASD rallied after briefly plunging following the news
Cryptocurrency exchange AscendEX, formerly Bitmax, is the latest crypto exchange to fall victim to hackers. The exchange recently disclosed a breach in the exchange’s hot wallet.
Researchers at PeckShield, a security firm, claim the exchange lost about $77.7 million.
Fortunately, the hack was limited to the exchange’s hot wallet with the cold wallet remaining unaffected.
Some of the tokens taken from the exchange include Tether (USDT) and USDC stablecoins, AAVE, COMP, and popular meme token Shiba Inu. The tokens were apparently taken from three main blockchains. Namely, $60 million from Ethereum, $9.2 million from Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and $8.5 million from Polygon (Matic).
AscendEX token ASD price briefly plunged following news of the hacking. The token fell below the $0.32 support level but quickly rallied, according to CoinMarketCap.
In comparison, rival exchange BitMart lost about $200 million to hackers a week ago. Similarly, BitMart lost tokens on Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain through a hot wallet breach.
The latest flurry of crypto exchange hackings emphasizes the vulnerability presented by centralized exchanges (CEX). Although many CEX utilize cold wallets which are not connected to the internet, however, hackers are becoming more sophisticated.
Further, AscendEX has vowed to compensate users affected by the hack. In the meantime, the exchange has suspended all transactions.
