Share this article

Crypto Lender Exactly Hit by $12M Bridge Exploit

The protocol becomes the latest in a long line of firms to be struck by a hack involving a cross-chain bridge.

Aug 18, 2023, 11:41 a.m.
Cross-chain bridge attacks equal $2B in 2022 (Charlie Green/Unsplash)
Cross-chain bridge attacks equal $2B in 2022 (Charlie Green/Unsplash)

Exactly Protocol, a decentralized credit market on the Optimism network, has been targeted by a bridge exploit worth as much as $12 million.

The hacker used an exploiter contract on Ethereum that transferred deposits to Optimism before ultimately bridging stolen funds back to Ethereum, blockchain security firm De.Fi said in a tweet.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

It is estimated that 7,160 ether has been lost equating to $12.04 million at current prices.

The protocol's native governance token (EXA) slumped by more than 12% following the exploit as it currently trades at $5.51, per CoinMarketCap.

The hack coincides with a significant downturn across the wider cryptocurrency market, with several assets including XRP, LTC and BCH leading double-digit declines as roughly $1 billion in positions were liquidated in a a 24-hour period.

Cross-chain bridges have become a common attack vector for hackers due to the relatively novel technology. Last year it was estimated that over $2 billion was lost to bridge hacks, according to Chainalysis.

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

BitMine, the largest Ethereum treasury firm, makes biggest ether purchase of 2026

Tom Lee

The crypto treasury firm added over 40,000 ETH last week and has now staked over 2 million tokens.

What to know:

  • BitMine acquired 40,302 ETH last week, its biggest purchase of 2026 so far.
  • The purchase followed shareholder approval to expand the firm’s authorized share count.