23.06.2025 03:13

Hacken, a cybersecurity firm, suffered a significant blow when a private key leak resulted in the unauthorized creation and theft of $250,000 worth of its native Hacken Token (HAI). This breach led to a staggering 99% price plummet for the token. The incident occurred during ongoing architectural changes to Hacken's blockchain bridge, highlighting the inherent vulnerabilities and risks associated with upgrading decentralized systems.

The compromise stemmed from a leaked private key granting access to an account with minting capabilities on both the Ethereum and BNB Chain networks. Exploiting this vulnerability, the attacker minted a substantial quantity of HAI tokens and promptly sold them on decentralized exchanges, triggering a near-total market value collapse from $0.015 to a mere $0.000056. While the token's price has partially rebounded to approximately $0.00026, the incident starkly revealed critical flaws within Hacken's blockchain bridge infrastructure.

According to Hacken CEO Dyma Budorin, the primary impact was reputational damage. He asserted that, beyond the leaked private keys, there was no evidence suggesting a broader compromise of the company's systems. Hacken acted decisively, swiftly revoking the compromised minting account and regaining control of the token contract. However, the attacker already escaped with approximately $250,000 in stolen HAI tokens. The incident underscores the considerable risks involved in upgrading blockchain infrastructure and serves as a cautionary tale for other firms operating in the decentralized space. This event also highlights the potential for significant financial losses and reputational harm from even seemingly contained security breaches.