Aztec Connect Exploit Leaves $2.1M Trail of Crypto Destruction

Aztec Connect, a discontinued DeFi bridge, has been exploited by an attacker who drained over $2.1 million from its platform.

The incident occurred despite Aztec Labs having shut down the platform in March 2023 and removed admin control in 2024. However, the immutable smart contract still held more than $2 million worth of crypto assets.

According to blockchain security firm BlockSec, the attacker took advantage of a flaw in transaction verification and settlement on Ethereum, which allowed them to create balances that were not properly backed by assets.

The attack was repeated seven times across seven different assets, eventually draining the contract. Aztec Labs confirmed they are investigating the incident but stressed it did not affect users or assets on the current Aztec Network.