The exploiter responsible for the $11.6 million exploit of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Prisma Finance has reached out to the project, claiming the attack was a “whitehat rescue” and expressing a desire to return the funds. The hacker sent a message on-chain stating, “Hi, this is a whitehat rescue, who can I contact to refund,” from the address associated with the attack. Prisma Finance responded by providing contact information for negotiations.
A white hat hacker refers to an individual who discovers vulnerabilities in software code and typically informs the creators rather than exploiting the vulnerabilities themselves. However, in the cryptocurrency industry, it is more common for hackers to exploit protocols and then request a white hat bounty or some form of reward in exchange for returning the funds. There have been instances where hackers returned funds without seeking any reward.
The attack on Prisma Finance occurred on March 28, with approximately $11.6 million stolen and sent to three separate addresses, according to estimates by blockchain security firm PeckShield. The hacker proceeded to swap the stolen funds for Ether (ETH). The root cause of the attack is still under investigation by Prisma Finance.
Following the exploit, Prisma Finance’s total value locked dropped from about $220 million to $115 million. Prisma Governance Token (PRISMA) dropped 30% following the attack, but has since partially recovered.
