The hacker responsible for the $196 million attack on Euler Finance has begun transferring funds into crypto mixer Tornado Cash, only hours after a $1 million bounty was issued to identify the attacker. On March 16, blockchain analytics firm PeckShield tweeted that the exploiter behind the flash loan attack on the Ethereum noncustodial lending protocol was taking action. The hacker sent 1,000 Ether (approx. $1.65 million) through the sanctioned crypto mixer Tornado Cash.
Just 24 hours after Euler Labs tweeted they were launching a $1 million reward for any information leading to the arrest of the Euler protocol attacker and the return of all stolen funds, an on-chain message was sent to the exploiter’s address warning them that if 90% of the funds weren’t returned within 24 hours, a bounty would be launched that leads to their arrest and the recovery of all funds.
The movement of funds to the crypto mixer suggests that the hacker may not be inclined to accept Euler’s amnesty offer. According to Peckshield, approximately 100 ETH (worth $165,202 at the time of this report) was sent to a wallet address belonging to one of the victims. The owner had previously used an on-chain message to plead with the attacker to return their “life savings.”
Victims of the attack began flooding the attacker’s address with messages imploring for their funds to be returned. One claimed that 26 families from jobless rural areas had lost a collective million USDT—their life savings from factory labor. Another victim congratulated the hacker on their ‘big win’ and explained how they had invested funds in Euler that they desperately needed for a house purchase. However, they expressed regret and distress, stating, “My wife is going to kill me if we can’t afford our house… Is there any way you can help me? I have no idea what to tell my wife.”
