US authorities have seized roughly $31 million in cryptocurrency linked to the 2021 hack of Uranium Finance, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform. The seizure, introduced on Monday by the Southern District of New York (SDNY), follows a joint operation with Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) in San Diego.
In April 2021, a hacker exploited a vulnerability in Uranium Finance’s automated market maker (AMM) on the Binance Good Chain, stealing round $50 million in numerous tokens. The incident was one of many largest hacks in DeFi historical past.
Following the hack, the attacker tried to launder the stolen funds utilizing strategies resembling crypto mixing providers and small deposits on centralized exchanges. In an sudden flip, blockchain researcher Zack XBT even steered that the hacker might have used among the stolen funds to buy uncommon Magic: The Gathering buying and selling playing cards.
The hack in the end led to the shutdown of Uranium Finance, leaving victims with out restitution. Nonetheless, the latest seizure of the $31 million affords a possible restoration for these affected, almost 4 years after the assault. Whereas additional particulars on the investigation haven’t been offered, this marks a serious improvement within the case.