Harmony ONE Sinks 12% Following $100M Horizon Bridge Attack
Harmony ONE, the native token of the Harmony blockchain, has seen its price plummet by 12% following a devastating $100 million attack on the Horizon bridge. This exploit adds to a growing list of attacks targeting blockchain bridges, which are vital for transferring tokens between different blockchains. This year alone, over $1 billion has been lost in similar exploits.
What Happened to the Harmony Horizon Bridge?
On Friday, June 24th, the Harmony Horizon Bridge, connecting the Harmony blockchain with Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain, was targeted in a sophisticated attack. The official Harmony blog announced that altcoins worth $100 million were swapped for ETH and siphoned off. The Horizon Bridge is critical for users to seamlessly transfer tokens between the three chains.
How Did the Hackers Steal $100 Million?
Hackers have stolen $100 million in cryptocurrency from Horizon, a so-called blockchain bridge developed by crypto start-up Harmony. Bridges allow users to transfer assets between different blockchains. Preliminary investigations suggest the attackers employed sophisticated techniques. The Harmony team believes the attacker(s) 1) employed a phishing schemes to trick at least one software developer to install malicious software on their laptop, that 2) enabled the compromise. After successfully compromising private keys and stealing funds on the Ethereum side of the Horizon bridge, the attackers proceeded to execute a well-orchestrated exploit scenario.
Compromised Private Keys Led to the Breach
Our incident response team has discovered evidence that private keys were compromised, leading to the breach of the Horizon bridge. Funds were stolen on the Ethereum side. With hacks and attacks taking the front stage, a part of the Harmony network was exploited. The Horizon Bridge to the Harmony layer-1 chain underwent a massive attack.
Lazarus Group Suspected in Horizon Bridge Attack
Through our investigation, we were able to confirm that the Lazarus Group (also known as APT38) cyber actors associated with the DPRK, are responsible for the theft of the $100 Million stolen from the Harmony Horizon Bridge.
What Does This Mean for Harmony ONE Holders?
The immediate impact is a significant drop in the price of Harmony ONE. While the Harmony team is working diligently to investigate and remediate the situation, the long-term effects remain to be seen. This attack highlights the inherent risks associated with blockchain bridges and the importance of robust security measures.