Drift Protocol Launches On-Chain Outreach to Hackers

Drift Protocol has taken a proactive approach in addressing the recent DeFi attack by sending on-chain messages to four Ethereum wallets containing the stolen assets. These addresses control approximately 129,000 ETH, which is roughly $280 million, making it one of the largest DeFi exploits of 2026.

The exploit drained an estimated $270 million to $285 million from the protocol, severely disrupting trading and liquidity conditions. Drift Protocol claims to have identified key parties linked to the incident and is publicly urging them to open a dialogue rather than remain silent.

The on-chain messages were sent from a known Drift-controlled address and requested that the wallet owners respond using Blockscan chat, an off-chain communication tool linked to Ethereum addresses. This mirrors prior cases where attacked projects sought to open a communication channel with hackers.