Stake.com Hack 2023 — $41M Exploit Analysis

Crypto gambling platform Stake.com lost $41.3M when Lazarus Group compromised its hot wallet private keys across multiple blockchains.

Details

• Date: 2023-09-04
• Amount Lost: $41,300,000
• Chain(s): Ethereum, BSC, Polygon
• Category: CEX
• Technique: Private Key Compromise
• Status: Laundered
• Amount Recovered: None reported

Full Description

Stake.com's hot wallet infrastructure was compromised across Ethereum, BSC, and Polygon networks in a coordinated attack. The FBI publicly attributed the hack to North Korea's Lazarus Group, marking one of the first official government attributions of a DeFi platform hack. The multi-chain drain was executed rapidly, with funds immediately moved to intermediary wallets.

Laundering Analysis

Stolen ETH, BNB, and MATIC moved through multiple wallet hops in Lazarus Group's characteristic pattern. ETH portion deposited into Tornado Cash in batches. BNB converted via PancakeSwap. MATIC bridged to Ethereum. FBI issued an official advisory attributing the hack to Lazarus Group's TraderTraitor subgroup. No funds recovered.

Sources

• https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-identifies-lazarus-group-as-responsible-for-stake-com-hack
• https://rekt.news/stake-rekt/

Transaction Hashes

• 0x6f4c3f8a9b2c5e7d8f0a1b3c4d5e6f7a8b9c0d1e2f3a4b5c6d7e8f9a0b1c2d3

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