While cryptocurrency hacks are not uncommon, instances where attackers take substantial risks only to gain minimal profits are rare. Such a scenario unfolded on Sunday when an attacker exploited a vulnerability in Hyperbridge's cross-chain gateway, successfully minting 1 billion Polkadot tokens on the Ethereum network, worth approximately $1.19 billion, but only managing to sell them for around $237,000 in ether. This incident highlights the growing concern of bridge vulnerabilities in 2026, following a $270 million exploit on Solana's Drift Protocol last month.
The attack targeted the bridge contract, specifically the EthereumHost contract's validation process for incoming cross-chain messages, which granted the attacker administrative control over the bridged DOT token contract. However, due to weak liquidity in the market, the attacker's profits were significantly capped. The attack vector was confirmed by CertiK, with Hyperbridge yet to publicly address the issue or disclose potential vulnerabilities in other bridged token contracts using the same gateway.