Verus Bridge Attacker Returns 4,052 ETH, Keeps $2.8 Million Bounty
An attacker has returned 4,052.4 ETH, valued at approximately $8.5 million, to the Verus platform following their proposal of a bounty framework, according to The Block. The attacker retains a bounty of $2.8 million for their actions in exploiting the bridge, signaling a noteworthy incident within the ecosystem.

On Friday, an individual who exploited the Verus bridge returned 4,052.4 ETH, equivalent to around $8.5 million. This action follows the Verus team's introduction of a framework to incentivize the return of funds stolen during the attack. The structure allows the attacker to keep a $2.8 million bounty as part of the agreement.
Such events shine a light on the increasing use of bounty systems in the crypto space, providing hackers with incentives that could potentially lead to the recovery of stolen assets. This incident reflects broader concerns about the security of bridges—platforms enabling the transfer of tokens across different blockchains—and the risks associated with them.
Going forward, the crypto community will likely monitor how effective bounty programs are in deterring further exploits and whether more projects will adopt similar strategies to secure their platforms.
Summary based on original reporting by Brian Danga at The Block, originally published May 22, 2026. SolanaWire does not republish source content.

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