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Unibot Exploiter Swaps Stolen Crypto for Ether Via Tornado Cash

Unibot confirmed on X that it had suffered a token approval exploit in its new order router.

Updated Oct 31, 2023, 8:23 a.m. Published Oct 31, 2023, 6:54 a.m.
CDCROP: Telegram app on smartphone (Shutterstock)
CDCROP: Telegram app on smartphone (Shutterstock)

Crypto stolen via an exploit on Telegram chatbot Unibot has been swapped for ether via Tornado Cash and is on the move.

According to PeckShield, the attacker first moved the stolen crypto to Uniswap and then sent it to Tornado Cash.

Earlier, the protocol disclosed it was the victim of a token approval exploit when moving to a new router, and it would reimburse any stolen funds.

Tornado Cash is often at the nexus of high-profile hacks and exploits in the crypto world. In August, some of its development team were charged with helping hackers launder over $1 billion, including from entities tied to North Korea. Volume on the privacy protocol is down 90% after the arrests and subsequent sanctions.

The price of the Unibot token is down nearly 25% to just over $42. The price of the token peaked in mid-August at almost $220. The protocol, at its peak, generated a significant amount of revenue, thus attracting the interest of investors.

This is the latest exploit in the crypto world. Last week, LastPass users lost $4.4 million worth of crypto.

According to data spotted by Lookonchain, the attacker’s wallet now has just over $630,000 in crypto assets, with the majority being in ether (ETH) followed by USDC.

UPDATE (Oct. 31, 08:20 UTC): Adds details from Peckshield, updates headline.

Sam Reynolds

Sam Reynolds is a senior reporter based in Taipei. Sam was part of the CoinDesk team that won the 2023 Gerald Loeb award in the breaking news category for coverage of FTX's collapse. Prior to CoinDesk, he was a reporter with Blockworks and a semiconductor analyst with IDC.

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