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The cryptocurrency exchange Poloniex was hacked, resulting in the theft of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. It has been reported that the hacker has once again made a move by sending a total of 1,100 Ethereum (ETH) to the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in multiple transactions. It was also observed last week that the hacker sent $32 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) to a wallet address.
$181 Million in Cryptocurrency Remains Under Hacker’s Control
According to on-chain data, the hacker who stole $125 million in cryptocurrency from Poloniex’s hot wallets in November 2023, sent 1,100 ETH to Tornado Cash, a cryptocurrency mixer on the U.S. sanctions list. Market observers warn that the hacker may sell the ETH sent to Tornado Cash.
The mentioned ETH, worth approximately $3.3 million, had been inactive for 178 days. Today, the hacker moved the ETH to Tornado Cash in transactions of 100 ETH each. Just before this, on April 30, the hacker had made headlines by sending 501 BTC worth $32 million to a wallet address.
According to data provided by Arkham, the hacker’s wallet address still holds a total of $181 million worth of cryptocurrency across various blockchains.
Tornado Cash Continues to Be Used Despite Sanctions
Tornado Cash is a protocol that allows users to obscure the trail of cryptocurrencies by mixing assets across multiple wallet addresses over a long period. It was placed on the sanctions list by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2022, shortly after being used by the North Korean hacker group Lazarus Group to hide funds stolen in the $625 million Axie Infinity (AXS) hack attack.
Despite being on the sanctions list, the protocol continues to be used to obscure the trail of funds stolen in cryptocurrency hack attacks. In March, blockchain security company Elliptic stated that Lazarus Group used Tornado Cash to launder $12 million in cryptocurrency stolen shortly after the Poloniex hack in the Heco Bridge hack attack, confirming the continued use of the protocol.
