#defi-hack

[rwatimes]

Aave Fights to Unlock $71M Frozen in Kelp Hack Case

Aave fights in court to unlock $71M frozen after Kelp DAO hack as ownership dispute and North Korea claims raise major DeFi concerns.

➤ Aave is seeking a U.S. court's intervention to release $71 million in frozen ETH, recovered after the Kelp DAO hack, to compensate victims. ➤ The frozen funds are claimed by plaintiffs seeking to seize them as North Korean property due to alleged links to the Lazarus Group, a claim Aave disputes. ➤ This legal battle is seen as a pivotal moment for DeFi, potentially shaping future protocols for handling hack recoveries, ownership disputes, and legal claims.

[rwatimes]

$71M Freeze, $292M Hack, $19M Outflow – Is Arbitrum (ARB) in Trouble or Transition?

Arbitrum is facing a mix of governance pressure, security fallout, and liquidity exit. A group including Aave Labs and KelpDAO has proposed releasing 30,765.67 ETH worth over $71 million, frozen by the Arbitrum Security Council, tied to the April 18 rsETH bridge exploit. The Lazarus-linked $292 million DeFi hack has triggered $13–15 billion in DeFi […]

➤ Arbitrum is experiencing significant challenges including a $71M fund freeze related to an exploit, a $292M DeFi hack attributed to the Lazarus Group, and a $19M net capital outflow over 30 days. ➤ Despite these security and liquidity concerns, Arbitrum leads in tokenized RWA assets with $874M in value and continues to see institutional involvement from firms like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton. ➤ The network faces governance pressure and market uncertainty, but its underlying infrastructure, EVM compatibility, and growing RWA ecosystem suggest a potential transition rather than just trouble.

[rwatimes]

TradFi tokenization has single points of failure. DeFi hack shows why that matters

On Saturday the KelpDAO protocol suffered a $292 million hack by actors linked to the DPRK, with the vulnerability involving a cross chain exploit and

➤ A $292 million hack on KelpDAO, exploiting a single validator on the LayerZero cross-chain bridge, highlights single points of failure in DeFi. ➤ The exploit resulted in the issuance of unbacked tokens and potential losses for Aave lending pool participants, impacting total value locked. ➤ The incident draws parallels to TradFi's centralized approaches and underscores the risks associated with cross-chain bridges, private key compromises, and access control exploits.

[rwatimes]

Another DeFi protocol loses millions in hack days after KelpDAO breach

Another day, another exploit. The security crisis in blockchain-based decentralized finance (DeFi), once touted as a challenger to legacy infrastructure, is only getting worse. The

➤ Volo Protocol, a DeFi platform on the Sui blockchain, suffered a hack resulting in the loss of approximately $3.5 million from three specific vaults. ➤ The exploit targeted vaults containing wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), tokenized gold (XAUm), and USDC, adding to a growing trend of DeFi security breaches. ➤ This incident follows the KelpDAO exploit and highlights ongoing concerns about smart contract security and the flow of institutional capital into DeFi despite increasing hacks.

[rwatimes]

Crypto's massive exploit may force big banks to rethink their blockchain plans, Jefferies warns

A major decentralized finance (DeFi) hack could prompt Wall Street firms to reassess the pace of their blockchain and tokenization efforts, a Jefferies analyst wrote in a report. The

➤ A major DeFi hack ($293 million exploit of Kelp DAO) could cause traditional finance (TradFi) firms to reassess their blockchain and tokenization plans due to security concerns. ➤ The exploit highlighted vulnerabilities in blockchain bridges and single points of failure, potentially slowing TradFi adoption as security risks are re-evaluated. ➤ Despite the setback, the long-term outlook for tokenization remains positive due to regulatory progress and infrastructure improvements, though the industry still needs time to mature.

[rwatimes]

Kelp DAO was hacked for $292 million; Aave takes over a huge amount of bad debt.

This is the largest DeFi theft so far in 2026.

➤ Kelp DAO suffered a $292 million DeFi hack due to a vulnerability in its cross-chain bridge, allowing attackers to mint and steal rsETH. ➤ The stolen rsETH was then used as collateral on Aave V3 to borrow $236 million in wETH, creating significant bad debt for Aave's Umbrella backup system. ➤ The incident highlights the risks of DeFi composability and the vulnerabilities in Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRTs) when used as collateral, prompting reassessments of risk parameters across lending protocols.