Share this article
DeFi Protocol Penpie Exploited for $27M of Crypto Assets; PNP Token Craters 40%
Crypto users lost some $2 billion due to hacks, scams and exploits throughout 2023, one report said.
Updated Sep 3, 2024, 8:46 p.m. Published Sep 3, 2024, 8:43 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Penpie, built on top of tokenized yield platform Pendle, suffered an exploit on Wednesday, crypto observers reported.
Withdraw ALL funds from penpie ASAP. Their front end is broken rn so i withdrew my funds via contract.
— AzFlin (@AzFlin) September 3, 2024
To withdraw via contract: Go to https://t.co/LDc5tg4PZv. Call `withdrawMarketWithClaim()` with appropriate params. You can get your market and amount params by examining your… https://t.co/g85xG6vlgs
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
The alleged exploiter drained roughly $27 million of crypto assets including various types of staked ether , Ethena's sUSDE and wrapped USDC stablecoin from the protocol, blockchain data shows. Later, it converted the proceeds to ETH using predominantly Li.fi and forwarded to asset to a new address, according to Etherscan data.
The exploiter's address was originally funded with 10 ETH, worth roughly $25,000, via crypto mixer Tornado Cash a few hours before the exploit took place, data shows.
Pendle confirmed that it identified a security compromise on Penpie's protocol and will maintain close communication with the team. Pendle added that investors' funds are safe on Pendle, but temporarily paused all contracts as a precautionary measure.
Penpie's token (PNP) cratered following the exploit, declining 40% in total during the day, CoinGecko data shows. Pendle (PENDLE) was down nearly 8% over the past 24 hours, underperforming bitcoin's and ETH's 1%-3% decline.
DeFi protocols are prone to hacks and exploits, and Penpie's attack was the latest example of that. Digital asset users lost some $2 billion in scams, hacks and exploits throughout 2023, De.fi reported earlier.
More For You
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
Ethereum Foundation makes post quantum security a top priority as new team forms
EF researcher Justin Drake says a new post-quantum team will drive wallet safety upgrades, research prizes and test networks as quantum timelines shorten.
What to know:
- The Ethereum Foundation has elevated post-quantum security to a top strategic priority, forming a dedicated Post Quantum team led by Thomas Coratger with support from leanVM cryptographer Emile.
- Researcher Justin Drake said Ethereum is shifting from background research to active engineering, including biweekly developer sessions on post-quantum transactions and multi-client post-quantum consensus test networks.
- The foundation is backing new cryptography with funding and outreach, launching two $1 million prizes, planning post-quantum community events and education, and stressing that blockchains must prepare early for quantum threats despite their long-term nature.
Top Stories
